Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

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.

Following a controversial loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament, the North Carolina Tar Heels found themselves under pressure as Selection Sunday approached. Many questioned whether they had done enough to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament,

One of the biggest storylines about the Tar Heels making the tournament is that their athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, is the chairperson on the NCAA tournament selection committee. He explained after the bracket was released that he wasn't in the room when the decision was being made and that "all the polices and procedures were followed."

"I was not in the room for any of that." Chairman of the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham explained the process behind the Tar Heels getting into the tournament. pic.twitter.com/vAD7qu4s3F