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.

Even without Cooper Flagg in the lineup, Duke is the clear favorite over Louisville in the 2025 ACC Tournament Championship Game at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight.

Despite the Tar Heels' resilience, the Blue Devils held on to secure their third victory over UNC this season.

North Carolina men's basketball on Friday night cost itself a chance at an ACC championship—and potentially a ticket to the NCAA tournament. Once trailing rival Duke by 24 points, the Tar Heels stormed back in the second half and had a chance to take the lead with 4.

No team with just one Quad 1 win has made the tournament with more than six losses since the term quadrant was introduced in 2017. (NC State got a bid in 2023 with a 1-6 Quad 1 record.) Before that, a team's schedule was divided into four buckets like it is now,