North Carolina’s furious comeback against Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals came up short after Jae’lyn Withers committed a lane violation on teammate Ven-Allen Lubin’s successful second free throw attempt — which had it counted, would have tied the game at 72 with seconds remaining.

For a North Carolina team that began the day on the wrong side of the bubble, it was an agonizing loss to an arch-rival.

“I’m not answering that,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said postgame when asked if it was the appropriate call.

Lubin made the second free throw, but the basket didn’t count because Withers stepped into the paint before the shot was released, a clear violation of NCAA rules. North Carolina trailed by as many as 24 points in the second half before going on a huge run after halftime behind 12 points each from Lubin and Seth Trimble. The Tar Heels completed the second-largest comeback in school history (21 points) earlier this season against Dayton in the Maui Invitational.

The Tar Heels entered the day listed as one of the “Last Four Out” in the latest Bracketology projections by CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm. North Carolina will have to wait until Selection Sunday to learn its fate about whether or not the program will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

“I still think this is an NCAA Tournament team,” North Carolina star RJ Davis told reporters.