YouTube Gold: Duke vs. Kansas, 1991
There was a time when Duke wasn’t expected to win national championships: it was supposed to lose them
In 1991, Duke’s stunning upset of UNLV was the biggest headliner from the Final Four, but it wasn’t the only thing going on.
On the other side of the bracket, Ol’ Roy Williams and Kansas knocked out Dean Smith’s UNC and official Pete Pavia tossed Smith late in the game.
That set up the first postseason match between Williams and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and probably their first meeting period.
The highlight of the game was Bobby Hurley passing the ball to Grant Hill for a lob that seemed far too high. But Hill went up and got it, stunning Billy Packer who just couldn’t believe it.
Duke was up 42-34 at the half but Kansas actually outscored the Blue Devils by one in the second half, losing 72-65.
It was Duke’s first title. Four more would follow. And when Williams came home to Chapel Hill, UNC would win three more.