UNC Beats Marvin Bagley III, Duke to Advance to ACC Tournament Championship

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. 1-ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

The Tar Heels were most effective against the zone when they embraced small-ball configurations that featured Luke Maye (17 points, 10 rebounds) at center and point-forward Theo Pinson (eight points, seven assists) at the 4. 

That unit allowed for more seamless ball movement, and it showed in the box score and the SportVU player-tracking data, according to ESPN.com's Jonathan Givony: 

North Carolina finished with 24 assists on 28 made buckets and seven different Tar Heels players registered points as balance and selflessness proved to be the team's biggest assets. 

Freshman forward Garrison Brooks was especially clutch as he accounted for 10 of North Carolina's 16 points off the bench and finished in double figures for just the fifth time this season. 

The Blue Devils, by comparison, had four players find the scoring column and didn't get a single point from their bench. 

Gary Trent Jr. led that group with 20 points and Marvin Bagley III added 19 points and 13 rebounds to tie Ralph Sampson for the most double-doubles (21) by a freshman in ACC history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. 

However, Bagley was noticeably silent in the second half and made his last field goal of the game with 12:02 remaining in regulation on a night when he attempted just 13 shots. 

If the Blue Devils want to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, that usage will need to change in a hurry. 

The Tar Heels, on the other hand, are headed to the ACC title game and will look to take down the nation's top-ranked team and its vaunted defense to boost their profile in advance of the Big Dance.