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.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is practicing extreme caution with all-American Cooper Flagg as the Blue Devils seek an ACC title. But the 6-9 freshman should be back for NCAA Tournament.

ACC Player of the Year Cooper Flagg was ruled out for Duke's conference tournament semifinal matchup with North Carolina on Friday night in Charlotte. Flagg sprained his left ankle in the first half of Duke's quarterfinal victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday and did not return to the game.