1992 NCAA Tournament Review
Duke Crushes Fab Five, First Repeat Champion Since UCLA In 1973
Apr 2, 2009
Duke became the first school to defend its NCAA crown since the UCLA Bruins won their final of seven straight titles in 1973 by crushing Michigan's Fab Five 71-51. Bobby Hurley was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, which also included Christian Laettner last-second miracle shot against Kentucky.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the seventh consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 19 to April 6, 1992 with the Final Four being played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Duke No. 1 Seed In East
Mike Krzyzewski's Duke - which included Hurley, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Cherokee Parks - was given the No. 1 seed in the East region. And the Blue Devils cruised through the regional, easing past Campbell 82-56 in the first round; Iowa 75-62 in the second round; and Seton Hall 81-69 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Laettner's Miracle Shot Against Kentucky
In the East final, the Blue Devils had all they could handle in second seeded Kentucky. Laettner made every shot he took (10 from the field and 10 from the free throw line). But the biggest came with 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime. With Duke trailing 103-102. Grant Hill threw a pass the length of the court to Laettner, who dribbled once, turned, and hit a jumper as time expired for the 104-103 win - one of the defining moments in NCAA tournament history.
Final Four With Four Former Champs
For the first time, the Final Four included four former national champions. The quartet of Duke (1 title), West No. 2 seed Indiana (5), Southeast No. 6 seed Michigan (1) and Midwest No. 4 seed Cincinnati (2) had a combined 24 Final Four appearances and nine titles.
Duke Holds Off Indiana, Coach K Beats Knight; Michigan Advance
In the national semifinals, Duke face off with Indiana as Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski was take on his former coach Bob Knight from their time together at Army in the last 1960s. Bobby Hurley drained six three-pointers in scoring a career-high 26 points as Duke reached the final with an 81-78 victory. And Michigan knocked off Cincinnati 76-72.
Laettner Second Half, Grant Hill Too Much For Fab Five
The final had Duke's veteran leadership against Michigan's Fab Five of the starting freshmen Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. And Duke collected an 88-85 win over Michigan in overtime in December. The Wolverines forced Laettner into seven turnovers in the first half and led 31-30. But the Blue Devils turned things around in the second half and blew out Michigan 71-51, scoring on 12 of their last 13 possessions. Grant Hill had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Laettner scored 19 points.
Laettner Takes Over All-Time Scoring Mark, Most Games Played
Laettner's 19 points gave him 407 total in his NCAA Tournament career, breaking Elvin Hayes's mark of 358. And the final was his 23rd tournament game, setting an NCAA mark.
