No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.
According to the Associated Press, Khaman Maluach added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Sion James had 12 points for the Blue Devils, who played without star Cooper Flagg.
Duke (30-3) will play the winner of the second semifinal between No. 10 Clemson and No. 13 Louisville in the title game.
Duke, North Carolina set for semifinal matchup after busy afternoon inside the Spectrum Center
After North Carolina cut a 24-point, second-half deficit to one, Ven-Allen Lubin had two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to potentially give the Tar Heels (22-13) the lead. But he missed the first and had the second made free throw waved off after teammate Jae-Lyn Withers stepped in the lane too early.
Knueppel made two free throws with 2.8 seconds left and Lubin missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
It’s the first time since 2001-02 that Duke has beaten North Carolina three times in a season. The Blue Devils swept the Tar Heels in the regular season that year and then beat them in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals en route to winning the national championship.
Lubin had 20 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina.
Takeaways
North Carolina: The Tar Heels simply don’t have the size to match up with the Blue Devils, but showed plenty of heart with the comeback
Duke: The Blue Devils showed they have plenty of punch and more than enough defense despite being without Flagg and top reserve Maliq Brown.
Key moment
Withers stepping the lane too early was a monumental mistake.
Key stat
UNC started the second half 15 of 24 from the field.
Up next
Duke will play the winner of No. 10 Clemson-No. 13 Louisville winner in the championship. UNC hopes it has done enough to get an NCAA Tournament berth.
VIDEO: Duke, North Carolina set for semifinal matchup after busy afternoon inside the Spectrum Center
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No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
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Duke survives, beats UNC for third time
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Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference ...ABC News - 1d -
No. 1 Duke clinches 23rd ACC title with 73-62 win over No. 13 Louisville
Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Duke proves 'toughness' minus Flagg to win ACC
No. 1 Duke showed off its depth with Cooper Flagg sidelined and defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 to clinch its second ACC tournament title in three seasons under Jon Scheyer.ESPN - 13h -
No. 1 Duke rules out Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown with injuries for ACC semifinal vs. UNC
Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown have been ruled out for No. 1 Duke's game against North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Friday night because of injuries. Both players were ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Cooper Flagg Tracker: Duke star freshman fights through foul trouble in win over rival North Carolina
Flagg dealt with some adversity in Duke's regular-season finale on SaturdayCBS Sports - Mar. 9 -
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