Could Duke basketball win and advance to the ACC tournament championship game without Cooper Flagg?
The answer is yes, though it didn’t come easy.
Thanks to two key free throws from Kon Knueppel and North Carolina coughing up several opportunities in the final 4.1 seconds, the top-ranked Blue Devils defeated UNC 74-71 in the ACC semifinals on Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It was the second meeting between Duke and UNC in six days, and it didn’t disappoint as the Tar Heels roared back from a 45-24 halftime deficit with a dominating second half performance. The Blue Devils have now won all three games against their in-state rival this season.
REQUIRED READING: Cooper Flagg injury update: Will Duke basketball star play vs. UNC?
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Friday night’s ACC semifinal was the 265th meeting of The Tobacco Road rivalry between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels. With their win Friday, the Blue Devils now have a 9-3 record against UNC in the ACC tournament semifinals, including six wins in seven matchups since 1980.
The deciding play that cost UNC from picking up a signature win to move off the NCAA Tournament resume came at the 4.1 second mark of the second half when Tar Heels forward Jae’Lyn Withers stepped over the line for a lane violation. If Withers had not committed the turnover, Ven-Allen Lubin’s successful free-throw attempt would have tied the game at 72-72.
As many of the Duke-UNC rivalry games are, Friday’s ACC semifinal was a tale of two halves. The Blue Devils led 45-24 at halftime before the Tar Heels flipped the page — literally — by outscoring Duke 47-29 in the second half. On top of UNC finding its shots fall in during the second half, another key factor to the Tar Heels’ comeback was Duke not being able to hold onto the ball. The Blue Devils turned over the ball seven times in the second half, which led to 13 points for the Tar Heels.
With Flagg out for Friday’s game, Duke had to rely on its depth to get over the finish line. Kon Knueppel led the Blue Devils in scoring for the third consecutive game with 17 points on 5 of 11 shooting with four rebounds and three assists.
Lubin led the Tar Heels in scoring with a game-high 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists and a block. Of his 20 points on the night, 12 of them came in the second half.
Friday’s game was critical for UNC’s hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, as Hubert Davis’ squad found themselves on the bubble of ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament projections entering the day. With the loss to Duke, UNC will now wait to learn if it makes The Big Dance or not.
With the win, Duke will advance to the ACC championship game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET against the winner of Louisville-Clemson. Here is a recap of updates, scores and highlights of Friday night’s ACC semifinal between Duke and UNC:
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Duke vs UNC basketball score updates
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Final: Duke 74, North Carolina 71
Duke defeats UNC in ACC semifinal
Duke hangs on for the 74-71 win over UNC to advance to the ACC championship game. The Tar Heels had several opportunities in the 4.1 seconds to win or tie the game, including a buzzer-beater 3-point attempt from Ven-Allen Lubin.
A big win for Duke without Cooper Flagg.
Kon Knueppel pushes Duke lead to three
Kon Knueppel hits both free throws on the one-and-one to give Duke a 74-71 lead. UNC then calls a timeout with 2.5 seconds to presumably draw up a play for RJ Davis to tie the game with a 3-pointer.
UNC turns over the ball
A massive turnover in the final seconds by UNC, as Jae’Lyn Withers gets called for a lane violation by stepping over the line. If Withers didn’t commit the turnover, Ven-Allen Lubin’s second free-throw attempt would have tied the game.
Duke calls a timeout with 4.1 seconds and the inbound.
Khama Maluach fouls out
Khama Maluach is called for his fifth foul as Ven-Allen Lubin drives to the basket along the baseline, and he fouls out of the game. Tar Heels heads to the line for two free throws trailing 72-71 with 4.1 seconds remaining.
Tyrese Proctor misses free throw
Wow. Tyrese Proctor misses the free throw at the line and gives the ball back to UNC while trailing Duke 72-71 with 17.6 seconds remaining in the second half. UNC calls a timeout.
Khama Maluach picks up fourth foul
Khama Maluach is called for his fourth foul of the night, as Seth Trimble comes around for the rebound off of Kon Knueppel’s missed layup attempt.
Trimble makes both free-throws at the line to bring Duke’s lead down to one point at 72-71 with 32 seconds remaining.
Duke calls timeout
Jon Scheyer calls a timeout to discuss things over with his team, as they lead 73-69 with 50.8 seconds remaining in the second half.
The Blue Devils have not scored in the last 2:34 of the game, while the Tar Heels have hit seven of their last nine shots from the field. A big 50.8 seconds coming up.
Seth Trimble brings UNC within six of Duke
The Tar Heels are kicking it into high gear here in the second half, as Seth Trimble gets the tough basket to roll in while drawing the foul. Trimble would then make the free throw for the three-point play to bring UNC within six of Duke, 70-64, going into the under-four media timeout.
It’s been a completely different UNC team here in the second half, who once trailed Duke by as much as 24 points at one point in this game. UNC has outscored Duke 40-25 in the second half.
A big 3:41 coming up here in Charlotte with a trip to the ACC championship game on the line.
UNC closing in on Duke at under-eight media timeout
And just like that, we’ve got a game.
Ven-Allen Lubin hits a pair of free throws for the Tar Heels to extend UNC’s quick run to 7-1 over the last two minutes. The free throws from Lubin bring UNC within 10 points of Duke at 66-56 with 6:12 remaining in the second half.
Lubin has been fantastic here in the second half for UNC, as he has scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half alone thus far.
Duke holding onto double-digit lead
Both teams are finding their strides again from the field at the under-eight media timeout, where Duke leads UNC 65-51. Duke has hit five of its last six shots from the field, compared to UNC’s six for its seven shots.
The one area the Blue Devils have struggled with on the night is handling the ball, as they have turned over the ball 11 times on the night.
UNC gets on run going into media timeout
UNC isn’t going away without a fight.
Seth Trimble goes downhill and attacks the paint, where he hits and gets the layup to roll in while drawing the foul. UNC has now made three straight shots from the field, while cutting its deficit to 56-43 with 11:135 remaining in the second half.
Things are getting interesting in The Queen City. Duke is just 5-for-12 from the field to start the half, compared to UNC’s 8-for-12 start.
UNC climbing back
The Tar Heels appear to have some light, as Elliot Cadeau hits a 3-pointer off the assist from Seth Trimble. Ven-Allen Lubin then follows up with a second-chance jumper on UNC’s next possession.
Duke has lost some of its momentum in the last few minutes with some sloppy basketball, as the Blue Devils have turned over the ball three times in the last 3:06. The Blue Devils have also not scored after Maluach’s 3-pointer at the 17:01 mark of the second half.
Duke extends lead
Khama Maluach continues to make his mark on this game, this time by burying a 3-pointer in the winding seconds of the shot clock to give Duke its largest lead of the night at 52-28.
It is just the third 3-pointer of the season for Maluach. All momentum is on the Blue Devils.
First half: Duke 45, North Carolina 24
One half is in the books in Charlotte with Duke leading North Carolina 45-25.
The Blue Devils really hit their stride in the final five minutes of the first half, outscoring the Tar Heels 15-0 in the final 4:42. UNC’s offense struggled mightily against Duke’s defense for the majority of the first half, highlighted by the Tar Heels going scoreless for the final 5:03.
Kon Knueppel was stellar for Duke on both ends in the first 20 minutes, and he leads the team with 12 points going into the locker room. The Milwaukee native hit four of five shots from the field in the first half, including a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown.
Elliot Cadeau picks up third foul
A significant story in this ACC semifinal continues to be the foul trouble surrounding UNC guard Elliot Cadeau, who picked up his third foul at the 3:56 mark of the first half.
The foul came on an attack to the basket from Duke guard Caleb Foster. Foster will shoot two free throws coming out of the under-four media timeout, with Duke leading UNC by eight at 32-24.
It will be interesting to see how Hubert Davis plays his starting guard for the final minutes of the first half, and the second half.
Patrick Ngongba blocks shot at rim
Patrick Ngongba says “not today” to UNC’s Jae’Lyn Withers at the rim, as the Duke big man blocks Withers’ attempted jumper. Ngongba’s block gets a standing ovation from Cooper Flagg on the Blue Devils’ bench.
Ngongba has really stepped it up on the defensive end tonight for Duke with Flagg out, with three rebounds and a block.
Duke jumps out to 10-point lead
Kon Knueppel hits to his second 3-pointer of the night to give Duke its largest lead of the evening at 27-24 going into the under-eight media timeout. It’s now back-to-back successfully made shots for Knueppel, who did not get on the board until the 9:48 mark of the first half.
If Duke wants to beat UNC without Cooper Flagg, it is going to need a big night out of Knueppel, who had led the Blue Devils in scoring each of the last two games.
UNC’s Jalen Washington heads to bench
After getting swung in the face by the elbow of Duke’s Patrick Ngongba, UNC’s Jalen Washington heads to the bench with a nose bleed as he gets tended to by the Tar Heels’ medical staff. Review during the under-12 media timeout did not show Ngongba warranted a Flagrant one foul being assessed to him on the swing on Washington.
Things are getting a little chippy in The Tobacco Road rivalry at the ACC tournament.
Duke goes on extended run
Here comes Duke.
A 6-0 run over the last 59 seconds gives the Blue Devils a 14-9 lead going into a media timeout on the floor.
The officials appear to be reviewing a possible Flagrant one foul against Duke’s Patrick Ngongba, after he made contact with UNC’s Jalen Washington following the previous stoppage of play that resulted in a Flagrant one on Washington.
Officials upgrade foul to Flagrant 1
Official stop play briefly to assess a foul on Duke’s Patrick Ngongba after he was going back-and-forth with UNC’s Jalen Washington. ESPN’s Cory Alexander said he believed it was because Ngongba didn’t give Washington room inside the paint.
The officials then went over to talk to Duke coach Jon Scheyer about Ngongba and then went to the review desk to see whether the extra-curricular activity from UNC’s warranted a Flagrant one foul. After the review, Washington was given a dead-ball Flagrant one technical foul leading to two free throws for Duke.
All told, the emotions of the Duke-UNC rivalry are heating up in Charlotte.
UNC leads Duke at first media timeout
UNC holds a slight one-point lead at the first under-16 media timeout after Elliot Caedeau goes 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give the Tar Heels a 5-4 lead. Sion James will head to the line out of the timeout for two free-throws after drawing a foul.
One storyline to watch regarding UNC is the foul trouble surrounding Caedeau, as the Tar Heels guard already has two fouls in the first 4:05 of the game.
Duke gets scoring going
Tyrese Proctor puts the Blue Devils on the board first with a jumper. Duke up early 2-0 against UNC in the first half of the first ACC semifinal of the day.
With Flagg out for Duke, expected Proctor to be running the Blue Devils offense for much of the night alongside Kon Knuppel.
UNC can’t capitalize on opening possession
The Tar Heels win the tip and go right to work looking to get on the board first. However, UNC is unable to capitalize on their opening possession as it misses a 3-pointer on its first shot and then a jumper after grabbing an offensive rebound.
Pregame
Starters for Duke-UNC basketball
Here is the starting lineup for Duke and UNC in the ACC semifinals on Friday:
Duke
- G Isaiah Evans
- G Tyrese Proctor
- G Kon Knueppel
- G Sion James
- C Khaman Maluach
UNC
- G Elliot Cadeau
- G RJ Davis
- G Drake Powell
- F Ven-Allen Lubin
- F Jae’Lyn Withers
Duke arrives at arena for ACC semifinal
The Blue Devils are in the building for their ACC semifinal contest against in-state rival UNC. Duke is looking to win for the first time this season with Cooper Flagg.
Is Cooper Flagg playing vs UNC?
No. Duke ruled out its star freshman guard from Friday’s game vs. UNC shortly after 5 p.m. ET on Friday with an ankle injury.
Duke vs UNC basketball time today
- Date: Friday, March 14
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
Duke and UNC will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 14 in the ACC tournament semifinals at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What channel is Duke vs UNC basketball game on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Friday’s ACC semifinal between Duke and UNC will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Duke vs UNC history
- Series record: UNC leads 145-119
- Duke’s last win: 2025 (82-69)
- UNC’s last win: 2024 (84-79)
Duke vs UNC basketball predictions
Rodd Baxley, The Fayetteville Observer: Duke 75, UNC 70
“It’ll be an adjustment, but the Blue Devils have plenty of talent and experience to beat the Tar Heels in what should be the closest game of the season between the blue blood rivals.”
Duke vs UNC basketball betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday
- Spread: Duke -7.5
- Over/under: 152.5
- Moneyline: Duke (-300) | UNC (+240)
Duke vs UNC basketball injury updates
Duke: Cooper Flagg (Ankle)
Flagg is considered “a long shot” to play in Friday’s game vs. UNC due to a sprained left ankle injury that he sustained in the first half of Duke’s ACC quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech on Thursday.
Click here to read more on Flagg’s injury.
Duke basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at Duke’s last five results. To view the Blue Devils’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
- Tuesday, Feb. 25: Duke 97, Miami 60
- Saturday, March 1: Duke 100, FSU 65
- Monday, March 3: Duke 93, Wake Forest 60
- Saturday, March 8: Duke 82, UNC 69
- Thursday, March 13: Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70 (ACC tournament)
UNC basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at UNC’s last five results. To view the Tar Heels’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
- Saturday, March 1: UNC 92, Miami 73
- Tuesday, March 4: UNC 91, Virginia Tech 59
- Saturday, March 8: No. 2 Duke 82, UNC 69
- Wednesday, March 12: UNC 76, Notre Dame 56 (ACC tournament)
- Thursday, March 13: UNC 68, Wake Forest 59 (ACC tournament)
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