COLLEGE BASKETBALL: N.C.A.A. CHAMPIONSHIP; Duke's N.C.A.A. Drought Comes to End (original) (raw)
Sports|COLLEGE BASKETBALL: N.C.A.A. CHAMPIONSHIP; Duke's N.C.A.A. Drought Comes to End
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: N.C.A.A. CHAMPIONSHIP
- April 2, 1991
Credit...The New York Times Archives
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April 2, 1991
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Section B, Page
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No sooner had Duke dethroned Nevada-Las Vegas on Saturday, the so-called experts began to theorize that the Blue Devils might be too drained and emotionally spent against Kansas tonight to carry the task through and bring the school its first national championship.
From the first minute of play, Duke made it clear that it hadn't left anything anywhere.
Playing with a sense of mission, poise and focused determination, Duke methodically took apart the Jayhawks, feather by feather, and defeated Kansas, 72-65, to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship.
"We knew what everyone was saying," said Brian Davis, who scored 8 points. "They were saying, 'Duke couldn't come off a big win, then play well in then national championship game,' and we knew we could. So we stayed focused and did it."
Not only did the Blue Devils win a much deserved national championship, but they removed a burden from their coach's shoulders. Mike Krzyzewski has taken Duke to the Final Four five times since 1986; the Blue Devils have reached the national championship but never won it.
Tonight, before 47,100 fans in the Hoosier Dome, they brought home the trophy with the surgically precise, hard-nose style of play that has characterized Krzyzewski's style of play.
Christian Laettner, the game's most valuable player, scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while sophomore guard Bill McCaffrey made 6 of 8 field-goal attempts and scored 16. A fellow sophomore guard, Bobby Hurley, who plays the point, scored 12 points and directed Duke's attack at each end. 24 Fewer Shots for Duke
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