Resilient UNC Basketball Team Earns Rematch Versus Bruised Blue Devils

UNC basketball boosted its NCAA Tournament profile by defeating fellow bubble team Wake Forest, 68-59, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

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The Tar Heels, fueled by 23 points from senior guard RJ Davis and a double-double courtesy of junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin, countered the Demon Deacon punches when it mattered most in Charlotte's Spectrum Center.

Their victory sets up a semifinal showdown against the archrival Duke Blue Devils at 7 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN).

Hubert Davis' 2024-25 Tar Heels (22-12) are 0-2 versus the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils, losing by a combined 30 points. That said, Duke's 78-70 quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech on Thursday came at a price in the injury department.

Duke's Maliq Brown returned from a dislocated left shoulder to give UNC headaches in Chapel Hill on Saturday night. But the 6-foot-9 junior forward re-dislocated the shoulder against Georgia Tech and, according to third-year head coach Jon Scheyer, went to the hospital "in a lot of pain."

On top of that, it's unlikely the Blue Devils will enjoy the services of its ACC Player of the Year in freshman phenom Cooper Flagg. The 6-foot-9 guard/forward, also a premier defender, sprained his ankle in the first half against the Yellow Jackets and did not return.

"The X-rays came back negative, which is great," Scheyer said about Flagg's status afterward. "We just have to understand there's going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there."

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