UNC Fined For Fans Storming Court After Duke Win, Scheyer Said Staffers Were 'Punched in the Face'

North Carolina has been fined $50,000 by the ACC after fans stormed the court following Saturday's 71-68 upset win over Duke, per ESPN.

Blue Devils' head coach Jon Scheyer said a number of his staff members "got punched in the face" during the court storming.

North Carolina said it accepted the ACC's ruling. It was the school's first infraction of the ACC event security policy.

"We accept the ACC's fine for having unauthorized people on the court before Duke and the officials could completely clear the floor on Saturday," UNC said in a statement. "The video we have confirms we followed our protocols to get Duke's players and bench personnel and the game officials off the floor safely. We will continue to review our protocols to provide the highest measures of safety in the event fans rush the court."

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham also apologized publicly in the aftermath.

"When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over," Cunningham said. "But then we had to clear the court again. So, when we normally have something like just rushing the court and the game is over, we do have a line by the benches to get people off safely.

"Obviously, if somebody got injured, that's just really, really disappointing. We'll do the best we can to make sure that doesn't happen, but again, my apologies to Duke for that."

North Carolina vs. Duke games are always heightened affairs, given the long-term rivalry, but Saturday's win was particularly dramatic. Seth Trimble's game-winning three with 0.4 seconds remaining not only finished off a big upset for the No. 14 Tar Heels over No. 4 Duke—and a major comeback in a game North Carolina trailed by as many as 13 points—but also prompted two separate court storms from fans.

"I'm still a little numb right now," North Carolina coach Hubert Davis told reporters regarding Trimble's game-winning shot. "He'll be remembered for the rest of his life in Carolina history. And I couldn't think of a better person to have that with him."