North Carolina's furious comeback against Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals came up short after Jae'lyn Withers committed a lane violation on teammate Ven-Allen Lubin's successful second free throw attempt — which had it counted,

Friday had all the makings of a classic win for UNC in a season that can best be described as a disappointment. Then Jae'Lyn Withers stepped over the line — literally. The Tar Heels lost a game-tying free throw against rival Duke,

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.

Tyrese Proctor leads Duke with 19 points as the Blue Devils overcome the absence of Cooper Flagg to beat Louisville.

During a timeout with 12:23 left to play in Saturday’s ACC tournament championship game, Duke coach Jon Scheyer leaned back in his black folding chair and took a breath. His Blue Devils had just scored seven straight points,

One of the biggest storylines about the Tar Heels making the tournament is that their athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, is the chairperson on the NCAA tournament selection committee. He explained after the bracket was released that he wasn't in the room when the decision was being made and that "all the polices and procedures were followed."

The Tar Heels’ 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games proved not to be a fatal flaw as North Carolina will face San Diego State in Dayton.

"I was not in the room for any of that." Chairman of the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham explained the process behind the Tar Heels getting into the tournament. pic.twitter.com/vAD7qu4s3F