Forward Jae’Lyn Withers moved too early, negating Ven-Allen Lubin’s free-throw attempt and giving Duke the ball back.

Without Cooper Flagg, Duke got everything it could handle from North Carolina — and an unexpected gift that proved decisive in a 74-71 win.

North Carolina forward Jae'Lyn Withers committed a lane violation with 4.1 seconds left that negated a tying free throw in the Tar Heels' loss to No. 1 Duke in the ACC Tournament.

While the focus will undoubtedly skew toward Duke — with or without Cooper Flagg — UNC, Clemson and Louisville are coming off thrilling finishes in their own quarterfinals.

What began with 15 teams has dwindled to two in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the ACC Tournament bracket has chewed up and spit out 13 others to leave us with No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 Louisville with only Saturday's title game remaining.

It was Duke basketball vs. UNC in the ACC semifinals for a spot in the conference championship game. Follow here for a recap of scores, updates and highlights:

Cooper Flagg didn’t start for the first time of the season on Friday. The result is the Blue Devils affirmed who they know they are.

With Flagg out for most of the ACC Tournament with a sprained ankle, the 6-foot-7 Knueppel showed that he’s more than capable of carrying the load for the top-ranked Blue Devils

N.C. State and Duke earned regional No. 2 seeds, with UNC a No. 3. Here’s when the teams will play, and which teams they will host at their campus sites.

Duke is the consensus betting favorite to win the national championship, listed at around +300 at sportsbooks.

The North Carolina Tar Heels squeaked into the NCAA Tournament, grabbing an 11-seed and a spot in the play-in game against San Diego State. Duke, the winners of the ACC Tournament, received a No. 1 seed in the East Region.