Duke fans throw drinks at UNC players after season finale loss

The North Carolina Tar Heels had the chance to do two things on Saturday night. With a win over their hated rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, they would win the ACC regular season championship outright for the first time since 2017. Not only that, but they would avoid sharing the title with Duke.

On Saturday, North Carolina held back a Duke comeback attempt in the second half and picked up the 84-79 win. With this, North Carolina picked up the regular season title and completed a season-sweep over Duke.

After the game, Tar Heels players taunted the Blue Devils fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium. During this, Duke fans began throwing water and debris at the North Carolina players. It was seen during the ESPN broadcast and from courtside footage, courtesy of Raleigh News and Observer's Andrew Carter.

Duke fans throw water, debris at North Carolina players after regular-season finale

It has to be stressed ad nauseam for fans of all sports. Never, and we mean, never, throw items at players on the playing surface. Whether it's water, cups, or garbage, it could lead to serious injury.

On Feb. 24, Duke fans were stressed waiting to see if star center Kyle Filipowski injured his knee while Wake Forest fans stormed the court at LJVM Coliseum on Feb. 24. This led to calls for the NCAA to ban fans from running onto the court after a game. Luckily for Duke and Filipowski, the center was deemed okay, and played in the team's next game four days later.

It was a tense game all around on Saturday, which was highlighted by Filipowski tripping North Carolina junior forward Harrison Ingram, which was called for no foul.

North Carolina senior guard Cormac Ryan led the way, scoring 31 points while shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 from the three-point line. Ingram, meanwhile, notched a double-double by recording 14 points (5-for-12 from the field), and 10 rebounds (eight defensive).

As for Duke, Filipowski scored a team-high 23 points (8-for-18 from the field), grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots, dished out two assists, and recorded two steals.

North Carolina will now head into this week's ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, while Duke likely earns the No. 2 seed.

It was a good game for both teams. It's a shame that one of the takeaways will be Duke fans throwing water and drinks at North Carolina players.