SN 140 Moments: No. 13 – Christian Laettner scripts perfect ending to Duke-Kentucky classic originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Of all the greatest plays in American sports history, this might be the only one without a nickname. It doesn’t even have something lame like “The Catch”. This moment was so singular it only needs an individual’s surname to capture all that made it so extraordinary and consequential.
Laettner.
Say that name, and immediately the picture is clear: The 1991-92 Duke squad is the reigning NCAA champion, heavily favored to repeat, but stands 2.2 seconds from an upset as the result of a spectacular, banked, half-hook launched by Kentucky guard Sean Woods.
With UK up a point, the game appeared to be over. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski insisted otherwise to his players during a timeout. They believed, and all fulfilled their assignments as forward Grant Hill threw a 79-foot pass to All-American Christian Laettner at the opposite foul line. He was double-teamed by UK seniors John Pelphrey and Deron Feldhaus, but they remembered the warning not to foul issued by coach Rick Pitino and backed away.
Laettner bounced the ball, faked to the right, turned into his left shoulder and fired in a jumper before the buzzer. It was Duke 104, Kentucky 103.
The greatest college hoops game ever played had the greatest ending imaginable.
MORE: Back to The Sporting News' 140 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time