Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 9, 1992 TAG: 9203090009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
But the Blue Devils didn't get to be No. 1 without having a lot of weapons, and Duke relied on some familiar names in the crunch to defeat the Tar Heels, 89-77.
Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley are synonymous with Duke success, and they delivered when it mattered.
Then, when the adoring students refused to leave after creating a deafening atmosphere, Laettner addressed them after his final home game.
"Hopefully, we're going to have nine more games," said the senior All-American, whose 26 points included five 3-pointers.
To do that, Duke would have to reach the NCAA final for the third straight year.
"I'd like you to start counting down right now," Laettner said.
"Nine more games, nine more games," the students responded.
If Duke plays the way it did at the end of this struggle between bitter rivals, the Devils have a chance.
"That's the best Duke team I've seen," said UNC coach Dean Smith, "and I've seen most of them."
Which, since North Carolina led 71-69 with 7:10 left, tells you how the Tar Heels played.
Mostly, it was Hubert Davis, the senior from Virginia, whose career-high 35 points included some effortless outside shooting.
"If I didn't respect him before, I'd respect him now," said Hubert's buddy and opponent, Brian Davis. "He was talking to his teammates and he just did a great job the whole game."
But H. Davis couldn't give UNC (19-8 overall, 9-7 ACC) its second win against the top-ranked Blue Devils (25-2, 14-2).
Because, when it mattered, Duke had Laettner and Hurley.
After Hurley had fed Tony Lang for a tie-breaking layup that made it 73-71, Laettner rolled off a screen and swished his fifth 3-pointer. In three games, the 6-foot-11 center is 13-for-17 from outside the 3-point arc.
Even Smith, admiringly, said, "Laettner's a pretty good outside shooter - like the nation's best."
Laettner also tends to make big shots. He's done it three straight games when the outcome was in doubt.
Then Laettner, up high, fed Thomas Hill down low for a layup that made it 78-73, and, after a sensational Davis leaner in traffic, Hurley made the cruncher, another 3-pointer, one of 11 Duke made in 24 attempts.
Smith packed his defense inside, trying to keep the quicker Devils from drawing fouls.
"You can't put Duke at the foul line," he said. The wisdom of that strategy was apparent in the closing 50 seconds, when the winners made six in a row.
So UNC played a lot of zone.
"We wanted to make them a jump-shooting team," Smith said.
Duke jumped and shot and hit 52.4 percent. In winning its 29th in a row in Cameron and finishing a second year unbeaten at home, the Devils never shot below 50 percent here.
It didn't hurt that another injured star returned. Grant Hill had eight points in 21 minutes after missing three games with a sprained ankle. He did hurt the ankle again after a collision with UNC's Derrick Phelps in the last 15 seconds.
Hurley, in his fourth game back since breaking a foot, also had five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and seven assists.
As for the theory this was somehow a "meaningless" game, Laettner scoffed, "It had all the meaning in the world. There's never a game that doesn't mean anything. That's the biggest bunch of baloney I've heard. This game had as much bearing as ever."
From the never-ending crescendo in the stifling heat, from the way the teams contested every play, there could be no doubt.
"It was one of the real great games in the history of the conference," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB