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Withers' lane violation adds improbable twist to UNC's failed comeback against No. 1 Duke in ACCs

By AARON BEARD - Mar 15, 2025, 01:51 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 15, 2025, 01:51 AM EDT
ACC North Carolina Wake Forest Basketball
North Carolina forward Jae'Lyn Withers pull a rebound away from Wake Forest forward Efton Reid III during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

North Carolina graduate forward Jae'Lyn Withers committed a lane violation with 4.1 seconds left that negated a tying free throw in the Tar Heels' loss to No. 1 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jae'Lyn Withers stood in a hallway of the Spectrum Center, his left arm resting around the shoulders of North Carolina coach Hubert Davis. He was surrounded by reporters, all wanting to know a simple question.

How did it happen?

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It was roughly an hour after the Tar Heels nearly completed a comeback from a 24-point deficit against top-ranked Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. But it slipped painfully away on the most unusual of mistakes: Withers' lane violation in the final seconds that negated the tying free throw from Ven-Allen Lubin.

The Blue Devils hung on for a 74-71 victory Friday night in the semifinal, a game that was flirting with earning its own place in the rivalry's lore for the comeback — only to secure it for an entirely different reason.

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