from a fan: duke's 5 worst losses

got this in an email...


i dont' know if you do guest articles, but i wrote this up and was trying to shop it around. The dates, places and stats would need to be double-checked because I did it straight from memory. I'm a junior in college and free-lance writer, although i've never had anything used.

"this one hurt"

This one hurt. It still stings. I've been bleeding Duke blue ever since I first saw them. That was only a mere 12 years ago. I was 10 at the time, and they were playing against UNLV for the title. My dad told me that UNLV were cheaters, and when you are 10, everything your Dad says, espically what my Dad said regarding basketball, was true. So, when seeing Larry Johnson and Jerry Tarkenian match up against college basketball icon and posterboy Christian Laettner and his leader, Coach K, I wanted Duke, even though I couldn't even tell you there was a city named Durham.

That was 12 years ago. That UNLV pounding didn't hurt that much at the time. I've been through many worse losses since then, and this one hurt alot. Of course, the Jason Williams missed free-throw is still fresh in my mind, and I hope in time it goes away, but for some reason that shot and Boozer's follow up miss will probably be etched in my memory forever. It is filed on the other half of my brain, far away in the cold nether region of hurt that takes months, sometimes years and titles, to get over. It is stored miles apart from the Blue Devil's revenge against UNLV, Laettner's miracle and Shane Battier's picture perfect senior year.

This one hurt. I even avoided television after the game. It was silent in my house, like a member of the family just died. Everyone knew to only speak if spoken too. They knew too, that this one hurt. I had to find a hobby to do, just to avoid Sportscenter. I shredded my brackets faster than you can say Enron. I had to try to not think of this game. I had to try not to keep replaying the elation I felt seeing the makings of a 4 point play crumble before my Blue Devil eyes.

This one hurt, and though it is still fresh in my mind, I know this will not go away anytime soon, possibly ever. This loss made me think back to the 5 worst losses I've had to experience in my 13 years as an adopted Dukie born and raised in Tennessee. Here they are:

5) 1997. St. Petersburg, Florida. Duke vs. Kentucky. Kentucky fans wanted blood in this one, still very bitter from the shot heard round the world in '92. Duke had some serious talent, although they were still a year away from realizing it. Shane Battier before he became all everything. Elton Brand, one season shy of his player of the year campagin. Trajan Langdon. William Avery.Wojo. Wojo, the epitome of Duke. The too slow, too short , gritty point guard who could marry my daughter, if I had one. Wojo, who beat the floor to inspire defense. Wojo! Duke was a number one seed and the winner headed to the Final Four. Duke took a commanding lead and the Final Four no longer seemed hopeful, but almost written in stone. Then, as a Duke fan I hate to say it, I watched one of the greater chokes in recent sports history. I watch a double digit lead crumble in the last ten minutes. Coach K turned into Greg Norman and the NCAA tournament was renamed the Masters. UK won, and their fans finally exercised their basketball demons from 1992. Their pleasure was my pain.

4) 1994. Duke vs. Arkansas. The Blue Devil dynasty was about to pick up another trophy. It would be the third title in four years. We'll get to what kept it from being four straight titles in a minute. Duke had All-American and already two time NCAA champ Grant Hill. Great game, except for the outcome. Arkansas won, of course, but the thing that stung the most was the fact that Duke was about a 1/2 inch away from the title. I still have wonder to this day how Scotty "Why did I ever enter the NBA Draft Early" Thurman made that 3-pointer over Antonio "I was this close to a block" Lang.

3)2002. Lexington, Kentucky. Duke vs. Indiana. Duke was looking to be the first repeat champ since, well, Duke back in '91 and' 92. Duke pulled another great choke. Instead of doing it against Kentucky, they did it right in the Wildcats back yard, so all those UK fans could watch Jason "I can make any shot on the court except a free throw" miss a chance at what would have been a Laettner-esque four point play to send the game into overtime. As if that was not enough, I had to watch Carlos Boozer miss the rebound follow that would have won it. This one is still very fresh in my mind, but I think in ten years it will still be a top, or bottom, five loss.

2) 1993. Duke vs. California. This was when I became a man. I almost came to tears over a sports game, and I knew that was some sort of rite of passage into manhood, ranking right up there with losing your virginity and drinking your first beer. Since my entry into the realm of the Duke Blue Devil world, I had seen the thrashing by UNLV as the only signifigant loss, and I had revenge plus back to back titles to put that loss to death. However, Laettner was gone. I had yet to learn that Duke would not win the title every year, and even though Duke was not a top five team that year, my thirteen year old brain did not comprehend anything other than Duke and NCAA champion. It was even harder to grasp the Dukies not at least, AT LEAST, in the Final Four. Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray, how you mocked me. You gave me bad Blue Devil luck until last year's title. I blame this loss for lots of things. I blame this loss for jinxing Bobby Hurley into a car wreck and a horrid pro career. I blame this loss on next season's oh so close title miss against Arkansas. I blame this loss for Coach K missing half of the 1994 season. I blame this loss for everything up until Shane Battier redeemed me. I feel that just as Boston has the curse of the Bambino which some think extends all the way up to Bill Buckner, that Kidd and company jinxed the Blue Devils up until last year. I think it fully hit home how bad this loss was when I saw Coach K cry at the press-conference, saying that he'd never coach Hurley and Thomas Hill again. I was right there with you Coach. This was so close to being the worst Duke memory of my life. Until....

1) 1999. Minniapolis, Minnesota. Duke vs. UConn. Duke was 38-1. 38-1! A win would set the all-time NCAA record for most wins in a season. This title would be historic. They would go down as one of the best EVER. By this time I knew how special that was. The starting five was Brand, Battier, Langdon, Avery and Carrowell. All 1st round NBA selections. The first man off the bench was a 1st rounder too, named Corey Maggette. They were going up against Rip Hamilton, Jake "Boy my hair sure is pretty" Voskul and UConn. I can't say much else, other than this will still be the most talented Blue Devil team to ever suit up. If only they had the killer instinct and ability to dispose of pressure like the early 90's teams.

So, like I said, this one hurt. But by now, I know how to deal with these things. No more NCAA basketball game watching until next season. No real sports news for a week or two. Try not to think about all those "What If?" statements. The one thing that comes from this loss is, I appreciate last season's championship that much more. I appreciate the back to back titles that much more. I also hate Indiana and Lexington, that much more.

 

My "order" would be the Duke swoon vs. Kentucky first, and Thurman's shot over Lang second. The Cal game ripped by heart out, and was 3rd. Last night, 4th, and UConn 5th.

Too many good memories to ease the pain.

 

1999 Duke vs. Uconn was in Tampa/St. Pete. I was there.

 

Actually Carawell was a 2nd round selection by the San Antonio Spurs....

 

Did it hurt?

 

Fear the Turtle. Go Terps!!!!!

 

My worst would be in this order:

5. Sweet 16 loss to UF in 2001.
4. Second-round loss to Cal in '93.
3. Second-round loss to Providence in '97.
2. Final loss to UConn in '99.
1. Elite 8 loss to UK in '98.

 

how the hell did the providence game bug you, they were 8-8 in conference that year. They didn't have a chance.