- UNC erases 24-point deficit against top-ranked Duke in ACC semifinals
- Withers' lane violation negates tying free throw with 4.1 seconds left
- Blue Devils survive despite missing Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown due to injuries
- Loss leaves UNC's NCAA Tournament hopes on shaky ground
- Hubert Davis publicly supports Withers: 'We’re not here without him'
In a game that epitomized the intensity of the UNC-Duke rivalry, the Tar Heels nearly scripted an all-time ACC Tournament comeback before Jae’Lyn Withers’ untimely lane violation rewrote the ending. Trailing by 24 points early in the second half, UNC unleashed a furious 43-20 run capped by Ven-Allen Lubin’s potential game-tying free throw attempt with 4.1 seconds remaining. The shot fell true, but officials waved it off after Withers encroached into the key prematurely – a rare crunch-time miscue that left players and fans stunned.
Historical data shows lane violations directly impact 0.3% of NCAA Tournament-bound teams annually, but the psychological toll can linger. For UNC, the timing couldn’t be worse – bracketologists had projected the Tar Heels as a 9-seed prior to the ACC Tournament. While Duke’s resilience without Flagg (17.1 PPG) and Brown (2.3 BPG) deserves credit, the postgame focus centered on Withers’ split-second misjudgment. ‘I was focused on securing a rebound if needed,’ the graduate forward explained, his voice barely audible above Spectrum Center’s departing crowd noise.
The Tar Heels’ collapse mirrors Virginia’s 2022 ACC Tournament exit, where a late technical foul similarly derailed championship hopes. Unlike that case, UNC’s staff emphasized collective responsibility. ‘We all made mistakes,’ senior guard RJ Davis stressed, referencing his own 5-17 shooting night. Coach Hubert Davis’ immediate defense of Withers – standing shoulder-to-shoulder during media questions – suggests strategic damage control for a team potentially facing elimination games.
Duke’s Kon Knueppel summarized the surreal finish best: ‘Never seen that up one.’ As the Blue Devils advance to face Virginia Tech in the final, UNC must await Selection Sunday with 4 Quad 1 wins and this historic ‘what-if’ looming large. For Withers and company, the lane violation’s legacy may hinge on whether the committee values grit (22 wins) or late-game execution in tournament environments.