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Controversial lane violation wipes away North Carolina's game-tying free throw late vs. Duke

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•03/14/25•

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North Carolina HC Hubert Davis
Bob Donnan | Imagn Images

With 4.1 seconds left in North Carolina‘s showdown against Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals, the Tar Heels trailed 72-71 with UNC guard Ven-Allen Lubin at the free-throw line. Lubin missed his first shot but didn’t even have a chance to tie the game with his second attempt after senior forward Jae’Lyn Withers committed a lane violation before the ball left Lubin’s hands.

The officials awarded the Blue Devils the ball and Duke freshman Kon Kneuppel drained two free throws to ice the game. It’s a disastrous moment for the Tar Heels, who are on the NCAA Tournament bubble and were on the verge of a historic comeback.

North Carolina trailed by as much as 24 points at one point in the game. However, the Tar Heels never gave up, and went on a 13-4 run to conclude the game. Unfortunately, for UNC head coach Hubert Davis and Co., their jaw-dropping run came up just short of a win.

With the victory, Duke completed the season sweep over North Carolina, going 3-0 against the Tar Heels between the regular season and ACC Tournament. The teams’ meeting on Friday was their most competitive showdown yet.

Duke won the previous two games against the Tar Heels this season by a combined 30 points. Of course, it’s worth noting the Blue Devils were without star freshman Cooper Flagg and junior forward Maliq Brown.

Flagg left Duke’s win over Georgia Tech on Thursday in the first half after spraining his ankle while coming down with a rebound. Duke fans initially feared the worst when Flagg was taken back to the locker room in a wheelchair. Alas, Duke administered X-rays to Flagg and concluded his injury was merely a sprain.

With the loss on Friday, North Carolina fell to 1-12 in Quad 1 matchups. They are among several teams including Texas, Indiana and Boise State that are campaigning for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Nonetheless, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi isn’t confident the Tar Heels will earn a ticket to the Big Dance.

“Probably Texas and North Carolina is the toughest comparison – [UNC] a great schedule, not many wins against the field. Texas, not a good schedule, but plenty of wins. So it’s really a contrast,” Lunardi said. “Do you like chocolate? Do you like vanilla? At this moment, though, I would not want to be North Carolina with a 1-12 record in Quad 1.”