The Duke Of Death

During the college basketball season, I like to say that I have two favorite teams: The Kentucky Wildcats and whoever's playing Duke. There are many reasons to hate Duke. The pugnacious, self-righteous Coach Krzyzewski (which is somehow pronounced shi-shef-skee--annoying) is one. The holier than thou attitude by their fans is another. The overly effusive praise of television commentators (this means you, Dickie V), and let's be honest, all that winning is pretty aggravating too. But for me, all of that pales in comparison to the outcome of one game in 1992.

If you don't remember the game itself, I'm sure you'll recall the highlight. That shot of Christian Laettner hitting a turnaround jumper at the top of the key is shown in every single March Madness promo and shall be for years to come. Well, that last second, game winning shot was scored against my beloved Kentucky Wildcats. I grit my teeth every time I see it. If you were to ask me what my favorite sporting event is, I would reply "the NCAA Basketball Tournament." And because of that damn basket, my pleasure is forever (at least partially) diminished.

It may be hard to believe now, but the 1992 Kentucky team was a massive underdog when they took the court in the elite eight game against Duke. The Wildcats were just coming out of a three year probationary period due to numerous recruiting violations during Coach Eddie Sutton's tenure. New coach, Rick Pitino had slowly brought the program out of the wilderness and after recruiting star forward, Jamal Mashburn in 1990, the Wildcats were back to their winning ways. Still, that 1992 team could've been called Jamal and the 13 dwarves. Because other than Mashburn, none of these guys were highly recruited. This overachieving bunch roared into the 1992 tournament as a 2 seed in the eastern bracket. Then, in the round of eight they met what may have been Duke's greatest team. Led by Player of the Year, Christian Laettner, point guard Bobby Hurley, and forward Grant Hill, this Duke team boasted six future NBA players to Kentucky's one (Mashburn). Duke entered the game with the number one ranking and a 31-2 record. By contrast, the Wildcats were 29-6 when they walked onto the court that day, and no one gave them much of a chance despite their high seeding.

What followed is often referred to as the "greatest college basketball game ever played." The two teams went back and forth through regulation play until it was clear that only an overtime session would settle the score. With mere seconds left on the clock, Kentucky point guard Sean Woods drove the ball to the right side of the hoop and dropped in a beauty of a bank shot to put Kentucky ahead 103-102. As the ball fell through the net, Duke quickly called a time out to set up an out of bounds play with only a second on the clock. Coach Krzyzewski put Grant Hill on the base line to make the long distance throw into the front court. For reasons that still escape me to this day, Pitino put a defender on Hill instead of double teaming Duke's tallest player and best shooter, Christian Laettner. Hill proceeded to toss the ball 75 feet into the waiting hands of Laettner, who then turned and then...the horror...the horror.

At this point, you may be thinking that my hatred of Duke is merely based in the petty sufferings of a fan whose team lost a heart breaker at the buzzer. Well, you'd be right. But let me tell you what really burns my ass about this game: Laettner never should have been on the court in the first place. Often overlooked in the retelling of this historic game, is the technical foul that Christian Laettner received in the second half. Midway through said half, after a scrum underneath the Kentucky basket, a frustrated Laettner knocked seldom used reserve forward Aminu Timberlake to the ground. Then while the Kentucky player was prone on his back, Laettner intentionally stomped on the kid's chest. A technical was issued against Laettner but no ejection. Asked later why Laettner was not thrown out of the game, the referee said that since it was not a punch then an ejection was not in order. Seriously? A kick in the chest is not equal to a punch? I call booty on that. What do you think would have happened if the roles were reversed and Timberlake had put his size 13 square into the great white hope's chest? Hell, they probably would have thrown him out the stadium only after running him through a gauntlet. This sort of bullshit favoritism has been on Duke's side for years. Now, I know that if Laettner had been tossed that Duke still could have won the game and that nothing is guaranteed. I also know that I can be accused of "sour grapes" for anger over the referee's weak decision. But, sometimes bitterness is its own reward.

I did get a measure of revenge several years later when in the elite eight game of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, Tubby Smith's Kentucky Wildcats defeated Duke 86-84 in the southern bracket. That Kentucky team was down by 17 points with 8:51 left in the game to the number one ranked Blue Devils. That's when the dukies began to tire. Tubby had been substituting players liberally throughout the game while Duke had shortened their bench and largely stuck with their starters. In a less than genius move, Coach Krzyzewski used up all of his time outs before the 5 minute mark. Slowly the Wildcats cut into the lead as Krzyzewski kept looking down at the Kentucky bench waiting, almost pleading with Tubby to call a time out. Smith was in no mood to help out the desperate Duke coach. Tubby's kids were fresh down the stretch while the Duke players were clearly gassed, mouths open, pulling on their shorts. Kentucky took a two point lead with only seconds remaining and a 30 foot 3 point heave by Duke guard William Avery bounced harmlessly off the backboard and the game was over. The sound that proceeded to exit my body is not known to man. I ran outside in the snow (coatless) shouting "revenge, revenge!" It is the single happiest moment of my life as a sports fan, and not too low on the list overall. That Wildcat team went on to win the national championship versus Utah two games later. While I'm sure I took joy in that moment as well, I can scarcely remember the feeling of that game. But ask me to recall the vanquishing of Duke and I can wax poetic until you run from me screaming.

However, this is not the highlight they show every year when pumping up the tournament. No, I have to see Christian Laettner's lily-white ass turning around and crushing the dreams of all the Kentucky faithful. That 1992 Kentucky team was christened "The Unforgettables" by the Commonwealth's hoops crazies. For all they did to bring Kentucky back to prominence, they certainly deserved it. However, I do wish I could forget their last game. That terrible final highlight. But the damn powers that be at CBS won't let me. Every year is a nose rubbing siege against me and my fellow Wildcat fans. That long throw, that bastard Laettner, the Duke of death, every year without fail. Torturous, murderous, and just plain shitty. And that boys and girls, is why I hate Duke.


Sumo-Pop
December 26, 2009