Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival 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.
According to the Associated Press, Khaman Maluach added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Sion James had 12 points for the Blue Devils, who played without star Cooper Flagg.
Duke (30-3) will play the winner of the second semifinal between No. 10 Clemson and No. 13 Louisville in the title game.
Duke, North Carolina set for semifinal matchup after busy afternoon inside the Spectrum Center
After North Carolina cut a 24-point, second-half deficit to one, Ven-Allen Lubin had two free throws with 4.