North Carolina just blew its shot at the ACC Tournament championship game in perhaps the worst way possible.
With just 4.1 seconds left in the semifinal matchup against No. 1 seed Duke on Friday, UNC was called for a lane violation on a potential game-tying free throw.
Tar Heels forward Jae’Lyn Withers jolted into the lane moments before teammate Ven-Allen Lubin shot — and made — what would have been the game-tying free throw.
The violation nullified the made basket, giving Duke the ball while still holding the lead.
Freshman Kon Knueppel hit two free throws at the other end to practically ice the game for the Blue Devils.
Had Withers not committed the violation, the Tar Heels would have had a chance to force the game into overtime.
UNC had nearly erased the 21-point lead that Duke fostered in the first half, outscoring the Blue Devils 47-29 in the final half of the match.
With the NCAA Tournament seeding looming, Friday’s loss to the Blue Devils could end up costly for UNC.
The Tar Heels had the opportunity to capitalize on an injury-riddled Blue Devils squad, who was without freshman superstar Cooper Flagg.
Flagg suffered an ankle injury during Duke’s ACC tournament quarterfinal matchup against Georgia Tech on Thursday.
According to Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer, Flagg’s X-rays came back negative, but a return for Friday’s game against the Tar Heels was unlikely.
“He was swollen already,” Scheyer said Thursday. “It’s not about being ready to go [Friday]. That’s not the most-important thing for us. We got to see if we can get him right this run that we can make in the tournament, but I would have to be really convinced that we should even consider seeing if he can go [Friday].
“He may not be able to go anyway. He probably won’t be able to go anyway, but I think it’s a real long shot.”
