Duke-Kentucky (1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Final)

[Abishai100]

On March 28, 1992, the East Regional Finals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament saw arguably the finest college basketball game in history.

The #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils, led by greats Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley, tackled the scandal-troubled Rick Pitino-coached Kentucky Wildcats in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Wildcats presented gifted and overlooked seniors, in personal suspension problems for the majority of their collegiate careers. The Wildcats had something to prove with their host of talents --- John Pelphrey, Jamal Mashburn, Sean Woods, Richie Farmer, and company.

The box-score for the (103-104 Kentucky-Duke) game led like a war-of-attrition which went back-and-forth:

45-50 (1H), 48-43 (2H), 10-11 (OT).

Every time the clutch leadership of Duke guard Bobby Hurley pulled the Blue Devils away, the clutch three-point shooting of Kentucky forward John Pelphrey kept Kentucky relentlessly in the game.

Christian Laettner did not miss one shot during the entire game, including free-throws. He was also responsible for the game-winning shot --- a shot considered to be the greatest buzzer-beater in NCAA men's basketball history (and it came in overtime!) --- and finished with 31 points.

The fact that Kentucky's scandal-ridden Wildcat seniors returned to create arguably the greatest tournament game in NCAA history is a testament to the coaching genius of Rick Pitino (and the fiery spirit of the players themselves).

This game cemented the Duke Blue Devils as the new-era UCLA Bruins, and any fan of NCAA men's basketball knows about it --- and of course, it was televised!


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COMMENTATOR: Kentucky guard Travis Ford has been quieted!
COMMENTATOR: Kentucky guard Richie Farmer has picked up the slack!
COMMENTATOR: Duke center Christian Laettner has been perfect.
COMMENTATOR: Kentucky coach Rick Pitino should be proud of his Wildcats.
COMMENTATOR: Will this make Duke the new UCLA?
COMMENTATOR: No doubt!
COMMENTATOR: They now face a tough Calbert Cheaney led and Bob Knight coached Hoosiers!

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The Shot (Duke-Kentucky)

Kentucky-Duke Box Score

 

[Abishai100]

Hurley's Heroism!

Many believe that the greatness of legendary Duke guard Bobby Hurley was revealed during this 1992 NCAA men's basketball tourney when the Blue Devils faced the gritty Calbert Cheney-led Indiana Hoosiers (in the first National Semifinal game of the Final Four), but IMO, Hurley's outstanding leadership and team-coordination play (and clutch 3-point shooting) in this Duke-Kentucky tourney Regional Final revealed how the guard was arguably Duke's all-time greatest 'floor leader.'

Hurley's contributions were obviously overshadowed by the iconic pay of Duke's Christian Laettner, but for Blue Devil fans, they will remember this legendary bout with Kentucky as a showcase of the simple wizardry of Bobby Hurley.

I've been following the Blue Devils my whole life, and I was concerned that Hurley's Blue Devils were going to be seriously and shockingly upstaged by the tactical shrewdness of a Travis Ford-led Kentucky Wildcats team, but in fact, the multiple-threat style approach of the Wildcats produced a close and tight game in which Ford was surprisingly left relatively quiet (which was good news for the fortunate and focused Hurley!).

It wasn't until the 1993 NCAA men's tourney when the great Bobby Hurley was finally subdued by the upstart California team led by future NBA great Jason Kidd (that was Hurley's final game).

There are probably a dozen different ways you could look at this gem of a college athletics event.




Bobby Hurley