The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- April 12, 1999

Connecticut captures battle of top-ranked titans with championship win over Duke

Connecticut and Duke were the only two teams to hold the No. 1 ranking in Division I men's basketball this season. Nonetheless, Duke was considered a heavy favorite over the Huskies heading into the championship game March 29 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

But Richard Hamilton's 27-point performance, key free throws by Khalid El-Amin and defensive stops on Duke's final two possessions led Connecticut to a 77-74 victory and the best possible conclusion to its first Final Four appearance.

"We're a great basketball team and we beat another great basketball team, the best we played all year, but we're not shocked," Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun said. "We truly believed we could beat them. We knew it would be a tremendous challenge, but we knew we could win."

The loss ended Duke's 32-game winning streak, kept the Blue Devils from an NCAA all-divisions record for wins in a season, and prevented them from winning a third title in the 1990s.

William Avery's two free throws with 54 seconds remaining pulled Duke to within 75-74. El-Amin missed a shot on a drive with 24 seconds left, and Duke had the ball with a chance to take the lead.

The crowd of 41,340 at Tropicana Field roared as the Blue Devils went for the final shot without calling a timeout.

Trajan Langdon, who led Duke with 25 points, tried to get by the Huskies' Ricky Moore. However, he took an extra step and was called for traveling with 5.4 seconds to go.

El-Amin was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and calmly sank both free throws for the game's final points. Langdon's last chance at tying the game ended when he fell near the three-point line under heavy defensive pressure and lost control of the ball.

"We lost to a great basketball team. We were beaten tonight, we didn't lose," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We picked it up in the second half and we had some opportunities, but they put the pressure on us and were tough to defend.

"We got some good looks and had a chance to win, but they made the play and we didn't make the play in the last minute."

Calhoun won his first NCAA title in his 27th season, the last 13 at Connecticut. The Huskies ended the season with a 34-2 record.

It was Duke's eighth trip to the Final Four under Krzyzewski, who was trying to become the fourth coach to win a third national championship. The Blue Devils, who finished in a tie with the 1986 Duke team and the 1987 UNLV squad for most single-season victories with 37, lost for just the second time this year and are now 2-6 in Division I championship games.

Hamilton, a first-team all-American who was 10-22 from the field and had seven rebounds, finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 145 points in six games for a 24.1 average. He was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

Langdon was 7 of 15 from the field, including 5-10 from three-point range. The Blue Devils' Elton Brand, the national player of the year, finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

SEMIFINALS

Connecticut 64, Ohio State 58

Ohio State: Brian Brown 2-8, 1-2, 2, 5; Jason Singleton 4-8, 1-3, 6, 9; Ken Johnson 3-8, 0-0, 5, 6; Michael Redd 7-18, 1-2, 8, 15; Scoonie Penn 3-13, 3-5, 5, 11; Boban Savovic 2-4, 2-2, 3, 7; George Reese 2-4, 1-4, 3, 5; Neshaun Coleman 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS 23-63, 9-18, 35 (3 team), 58.

Connecticut: Richard Hamilton 10-17, 3-5, 5, 24; Kevin Freeman 2-4, 1-1, 7, 5; Jake Voskuhl 1-2, 0-0, 5, 2; Ricky Moore 1-7, 4-4, 8, 6; Khalid El-Amin 8-15, 2-2, 1, 18; Souleymane Wane 0-2, 0-0, 4, 0; E.J. Harrison 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Rashamel Jones 2-3, 0-0, 0, 4; Edmund Saunders 2-3, 1-3, 5, 5; Albert Mouring 0-2, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS 26-55, 11-15, 39 (4 team), 64.

Half time: Connecticut 36, Ohio State 35. Three-point field goals: Ohio State 3-14 (Brown 0-2, Redd 0-2, Penn 2-7, Savovic 1-3); Connecticut 1-6 (Hamilton 1-3, Moore 0-2, El-Amin 0-1). Disqualifications: Voskuhl. Officials: Jim Burr, Larry Rose, Mark Whitehead. Attendance: 41,340.

Duke 68, Michigan State 62

Duke: Chris Carrawell 3-8, 6-12, 4, 13; Shane Battier 2-5, 1-2, 6, 5; Elton Brand 7-10, 4-5, 15, 18; William Avery 6-14, 0-1, 5, 14; Trajan Langdon 3-9, 0-1, 6, 7; Corey Maggette 3-7, 3-6, 4, 9; Chris Burgess 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0; Nate James 1-2, 0-0, 0, 2. TOTALS 25-56, 14-27, 44 (0 team), 68.

Michigan St.: Antonio Smith 3-7, 0-0, 10, 6; Jason Klein 2-6, 0-0, 2, 5; Andre Hutson 6-8, 1-1, 5, 13; Mateen Cleaves 5-16, 0-2, 3, 12; Charlie Bell 0-2, 2-4, 3, 2; Morris Peterson 6-17, 3-4, 8, 15; Thomas Kelley 2-8, 0-0, 4, 4; A.J. Granger 2-6, 0-0, 4, 5; Doug Davis 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS 26-70, 6-11, 40 (1 team), 62.

Half time: Duke 32, Michigan St. 20. Three-point field goals: Duke 4-13 (Carrawell 1-1, Battier 0-3, Avery 2-4, Langdon 1-4, Maggette 0-1); Michigan St. 4-18 (Klein 1-3, Cleaves 2-9, Peterson 0-2, Kelley 0-1, Granger 1-3).

Disqualifications: A. Smith, Peterson. Officials: Libbey,

Curtis Shaw, John Cahill. Attendance: 41,340.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Connecticut 77, Duke 74

Connecticut: Antonio Freeman 3-6, 0-0, 8, 6; Richard Hamilton 10-22, 5-6, 7, 27; Jake Voskuhl 1-1, 0-0, 3, 2; Ricky Moore 6-10, 0-1, 8, 13; Khalid El-Amin 5-12, 2-4, 4, 12; Souleymane Wane 2-2, 0-0, 0, 4; Albert Mouring 3-4, 0-1, 3, 6; Edmund Saunders 1-3, 2-4, 3, 4; Rashamel Jones 1-1, 1-2, 2, 3; Antric Klaiber 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS: 32-61, 10-18, 41 (3 team), 77.

Duke: Chris Carrawell 3-7, 3-4, 4, 9; Shane Battier 2-7, 1-2, 4, 6; Elton Brand 5-8, 5-8, 13, 15; William Avery 3-12, 4-4, 4, 11; Trajan Langdon 7-15, 6-7, 1, 25; Nate James 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Corey Maggette 3-7, 2-2, 0, 8; Chris Burgess 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS 23-56, 21-27, 31 (4 team), 74.

Half time: Duke 39, Connecticut 37. Three-point field goals: Connecticut 3-8 (Hamilton 2-4, Moore 1-1, El-Amin 0-2, Mouring 0-1); Duke 7-19 (Carrawell 0-2, Battier 1-3, Avery 1-3, Langdon 5-10, Maggette 0-1). Disqualifications: None. Officials: Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley. Attendance: 41,340.