Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

North Carolina's furious comeback against Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals came up short after Jae'lyn Withers committed a lane violation on teammate Ven-Allen Lubin's successful second free throw attempt — which had it counted, would've tied the game at 72 with seconds remaining.

The Blue Devils ended the Tar Heels’ conference tournament berth and further damaged their March Madness hopes with a heart-pounding 74-71 win that proved everything people say about this rivalry true.