CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A teammate tossed a towel over Jae-Lyn Withers' head as he walked through the postgame handshake line wiping away tears. It was a small gesture meant to shield the North Carolina veteran from additional scrutiny after his lane violation with 4.1 seconds to play erased a made free throw that would have tied the game, sending the Tar Heels to a third loss to Duke this season, 74-71, and, perhaps, sealing their fate on the outside of the NCAA tournament bubble.
Withers was part of a frenetic comeback attempt in the ACC tournament semifinal by the Heels, who trailed by 21 points at halftime and as much as 24 in the second half, only to utterly flummox Duke -- which was playing without the injured Cooper Flagg -- down the stretch, scratching to within a point as Ven-Allen Lubin stepped to the free throw line with just seconds remaining.