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,

Friday had all the makings of a classic win for UNC in a season that can best be described as a disappointment. Then Jae'Lyn Withers stepped over the line — literally. The Tar Heels lost a game-tying free throw against rival Duke,

What began with 15 teams has dwindled to two in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the ACC Tournament bracket has chewed up and spit out 13 others to leave us with No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 Louisville with only Saturday's title game remaining.

Duke basketball and UNC played a thriller in the ACC Tournament at Spectrum Center. Here are the observations.

While the focus will undoubtedly skew toward Duke — with or without Cooper Flagg — UNC, Clemson and Louisville are coming off thrilling finishes in their own quarterfinals.