Duke's dreams of capturing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament were likely dashed Friday night as the North Carolina Tar Heels emerged with a 74-69 win in the ACC tournament semifinals at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Following Xavier's loss to Providence in the Big East Tournament semifinals earlier Friday, a scenario emerged that could have seen Duke move up to the No. 1 line with a win over North Carolina and a victory Saturday in the conference title game.
However, the Blue Devils' zone defense was picked apart throughout the second half and the sixth-seeded Tar Heels staved off their rivals' late charge to set up a date with the No.