Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels

No. 5 Duke edges No. 3 UNC 74-73 in ACC semifinals

Yes, the Blue Devils' freshman star now has his delayed big moment against North Carolina.

Williamson tipped in his own miss to put the fifth-ranked Blue Devils ahead for good, and Duke survived a final-play shot to beat the third-ranked Tar Heels 74-73 on Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals.

"That is just my competitive spirit," Williamson said of the tip-in. "So when I saw it miss, my instinct was to get the rebound and go back up, but I realized I could just tip it in. It went my way."

"You don't want to lose to a team three times in a row," Williamson said. "You just want to win."

Williamson has been the talk of college basketball all year with his high-flying dunks and athleticism in a nimble 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame. He came through in a huge moment Friday, prompting UNC coach Roy Williams to say Williamson "put on his Superman jersey again and was incredible."

"It's such a blend of strength and power and quickness that we couldn't stop him getting the ball inside and going to the basket," Williams said.

That last tip-in helped Duke survive a classic that went down to the final play.

After freshman RJ Barrett missed two free throws with 12.4 seconds left, UNC pushed downcourt for a final possession. Coby White launched a contested long jumper against Tre Jones, but the ball bounced out as Nassir Little crashed the glass for a tip attempt as the horn sounded.

That sent Duke's bench into celebration and leaving a disappointed White crouching at midcourt in an arena filled with a buzzing instate crowd.

"I mean, it exceeded my expectations," Williamson said of getting his first full-game taste of the rivalry. "The crowd was into it, it was a back and forth game. What could be better?"

Cameron Johnson had 23 points for the Tar Heels, but he also missed a stepback 3-pointer for the lead that set up Barrett's missed free throws.

The Tar Heels shot just 40 percent, including 4 of 27 from 3-point range, against Duke's aggressive defense that played tough after UNC landed an early flurry for the lead.

"These two guys have an amazing will to win," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Williamson and Barrett, "and it makes us coaches look a lot better."

BIG PICTURE

UNC: The Tar Heels had claimed their first regular-season sweep of the Blue Devils since 2009, a year that ended with Williams claiming his second NCAA championship. They were trying to beat Duke three times in a season for the first time since 1976, though Williamson's almost complete absence had left a bit of a question how they might respond against Duke once he returned. The Tar Heels proved they're on level footing regardless.

"He's a great player and he definitely adds something to their team," Johnson said, "but that wasn't really the focus for us this game."

BENCH HELP

The Blue Devils also got sparks from spot-duty reserves like Jordan Goldwire and Antonio Vrankovic, with Goldwire playing more than 27 minutes to provide energy and defensive help when Johnson got hot early. Javin DeLaurier's work on the boards (six rebounds) kept Duke in it early as UNC was in full sprint by the opening tip.

UP NEXT

Duke: The Blue Devils advanced to the championship game against 12th-ranked Florida State. The Seminoles upset No. 2 Virginia in the first semifinal.

UNC: The Tar Heels are headed to the NCAA Tournament, though it's unclear whether they've done enough to secure a No. 1 seed.

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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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