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, who was playing without likely NBA top pick Cooper Flagg, on a lane violation with 4.1 seconds left in their ACC tournament semifinal game. They went on to lose 74-71, ending their final chance to improve a lackluster March Madness résumé.
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A wild UNC comeback had nearly erased what was once a 24-point Duke lead. With the Blue Devils up 72-71, Ven-Allen Lubin went to the line with a chance to take the lead and missed the first free throw, leaving him shooting for overtime.
He made the shot, but Withers clearly stepped over the line before the ball left his hand, wiping out the free throw and giving Duke the ball still in the lead. Kon Kneuppel proceeded to make both his free throws and UNC's last shot clanked wide to end the game with a thud.
UNC was called for a lane violation on the potential game-tying free throw 😳
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2025
Duke won the game to advance to the ACC tournament final. pic.twitter.com/TyaWtF4htu
Had Withers, a fifth-year senior who transferred in from Louisville last season, not committed the lane violation, Duke would have had the ball with 4.1 seconds left. A UNC heartbreaker would have been possible, but the Tar Heels would have well equipped for overtime.
In addition to Flagg and Maliq Brown being ruled out for the game for Duke, starting center Khaman Maluach fouled out on the play that originally sent Withers to the line. The Blue Devils would have been without two of their star freshman after a second half in which the Tar Heels outscored them 47-29.
Instead, Duke got the ball without any further damage.
Five different Blue Devils scored in double figures, while Lubin led UNC with a game-high 20 points plus 10 rebounds. Withers was 1-of-5 from the field for two points, as well as three rebounds and three turnovers.
The loss is even more crushing when you remember how much UNC needed that game. It's unclear how much a win over Duke without Flagg would have mattered with the committee, but UNC is now 1-12 in Quad 1 games and on the precarious side of the March Madness bubble.
UNC just hasn't looked up to snuff in most of its games against tournament-quality opponents, and that's probably going to matter on Selection Sunday. A snub would mean two missed NCAA Tournaments in three years since its improbably run to the championship game in 2022, and that's not going to help head coach Hubert Davis in the job security department.
