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.

Tyrese Proctor leads Duke with 19 points as the Blue Devils overcome the absence of Cooper Flagg to beat Louisville.

Duke clinched the 2025 ACC tournament title on Saturday night, taking down Louisville by the final score of 73-62 at the Spectrum Center. It was an impressive performance from a Blue Devils team missing star freshman Cooper Flagg,

Duke basketball won its 23rd ACC Tournament despite rookie phenom Cooper Flagg sitting out the bulk of the top-ranked team's time in Charlotte after spraining his left ankle during the first half of the Blue Devils' quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech on Thursday.

Duke received a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday, marking the second time in the last three years that the Blue Devils will host games in Durham.

"I was not in the room for any of that." Chairman of the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham explained the process behind the Tar Heels getting into the tournament. pic.twitter.com/vAD7qu4s3F

North Carolina men's basketball on Friday night cost itself a chance at an ACC championship—and potentially a ticket to the NCAA tournament. Once trailing rival Duke by 24 points, the Tar Heels stormed back in the second half and had a chance to take the lead with 4.