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 score, sending the Tar Heels to a third loss to Duke this season,

Forward Jae’Lyn Withers moved too early, negating Ven-Allen Lubin’s free-throw attempt and giving Duke the ball back.

While the focus will undoubtedly skew toward Duke — with or without Cooper Flagg — UNC, Clemson and Louisville are coming off thrilling finishes in their own quarterfinals.

Duke basketball player exits first half vs Georgia TechBROWN INJURY UPDATE: Maliq Brown injury update: Duke basketball player exit

Duke basketball punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning the ACC Tournament on Saturday, North Carolina had to wait until Selection Sunday to receive their at-large bid. The Blue Devils were named the number one seed in the East Region bracket.