Duke guard Frank Jackson, center, vies for a loose ball against Louisville forward Ray Spalding (13) and guard Quentin Snider (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 9, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)(Photo: The Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Grayson Allen provided an emotional lift during a second-half comeback as No. 14 Duke beat No. 10 Louisville 81-77 Thursday to setup a semifinal match with North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
The fifth-seeded Blue Devils (25-8) will play No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday night for the third time this season.
Deng Adel scored 21 points for fourth-seeded Louisville (24-8), which led by a dozen with 13 minutes left but struggled from the free-throw (15 for 26) and 3-point lines (4 for 21). Still, the Cardinals had a chance to tie it late, but Quentin Snider missed a shot with 4 seconds left.
Allen scored 18 points and ACC leading scorer Luke Kennard had 24. For the second straight game, Kennard made big shots down the stretch for Duke.
The sophomore's 3 with 4:45 left in the second half gave Duke its first lead, 73-70, since the end of the first. Tatum's 3 with 2:20 left made it 78-73 for the Blue Devils.