The first round of the Tobacco Road rivalry brought a thrilling finish as Seth Trimble’s three-pointer lifted North Carolina past Duke. It also drew strong TV ratings as it became the third-most watched game of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season to date.
UNC’s victory averaged 3.5 million viewers on ESPN and peaked at 4.8 million, the network announced. That made it ESPN’s most-watched men’s college basketball game in four years and saw a 53% increase from last season’s first of the two-game series between the two teams.
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Only two college basketball games have drawn more viewers than North Carolina vs. Duke this year, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel TV ratings data compiled by On3. Two Black Friday games – Duke’s win over Arkansas and Michigan State’s win over North Carolina – lead the way with 6.8 million and 6.5 million viewers, respectively.
In addition, Saturday’s matchup is ESPN’s top game of the season so far. It topped the previous high-water mark of 2.4 million, set when Kentucky took down Arkansas on Jan. 31. That was part of an impressive weekend for the network as 2.1 million viewers also watched BYU vs. Kansas that day.
Duke and North Carolina are also among the most-watched teams in men’s college basketball this year. As of Nielsen’s most recent update Jan. 18, the Blue Devils were the No. 2-ranked team and the Tar Heels sat at No. 4.
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Trimble’s three-pointer in the final seconds was the difference as North Carolina got the win over Duke in their first showdown of the season. UNC improved to 19-4 overall on the year, including a 7-3 record in ACC play, while the Blue Devils dropped to 21-2 overall and 10-1 in league action.
Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson had a monster game with 23 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. It was a battle of potential lottery picks in this year’s NBA Draft as Wilson went up against Cameron Boozer. He led Duke with 24 points and 11 rebounds in the effort.
The game wasn’t without some controversy afterward, though. North Carolina fans stormed the court early, resulting in a fine from the ACC, and Duke coach Jon Scheyer said a Blue Devils assistant was struck in the face during the celebration.
