MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / April 3, 1999

Monday night’s NCAA Championship game showed once again why they play the games.

The Huskies were a 9 1/2-point underdog to Duke, the largest spread that a team has overcome since Villanova shocked Georgetown in the 1985 championship. When the Blue Devils took an early 11-2 lead, it looked likethe prognosticators would be right on the money. But Connecticut, makingits first championship game appearance, was able to bounce back to take a first-half lead.

The second half was as memorable as any you are likely to find.

Connecticut goes up by six. Duke rallies to tie. The Huskies lead again byfive. The Blue Devils cut it to one. Connecticut has a four-point lead andthe ball with just over two minutes left but turn it over. Duke takesadvantage, taking the ball down the court and burying a three.

Down one in the waning seconds, Duke took possession and set up one of the matchups that makes college basketball special. Trajan Langdon, oneof the best offensive players in the country, gained possession of the ball.

Guarding him was Ricky Moore, one of the country’s best defensive players.

Langdon moved in near the free throw line but Moore stood his ground, forcing Langdon into a traveling call with 5.4 seconds left.Kahalid El-Amin, less than six-feet tall but all heart, was fouled on the inbounds and made both foul shots with 5.2 seconds left to give theHuskies a 77-74 lead. Langdon brought the ball upcourt but again wasguarded by Moore. Langdon got across midcourt but could not get a shotoff, falling to the floor as the clock expired.

But this was the type of game that had no losers, only winners. A poll atthe end of the game showed that those responding regarded it as the best championship game of the 1990s. Better than North Carolina’s win overMichigan in New Orleans in 1993, better than Arkansas’s win over Duke the following year and better than Arizona’s overtime thriller over Kentucky in 1997.

Monday’s game showed why Duke and Connecticut won a combined 70 games this season. Why both were ranked No. 1 at times during the season.It was not just about talent, something both teams had in abundance. Itwas about heart, about dedication to obtaining a goal.

Monday’s game was about a Connecticut team putting aside years of heartbreak to finally reach a Final Four and then winning the title on its first try. About a Huskies team that didn’t listen to its doubters andbelieved that it could do the unthinkable. About a coach, Jim Calhoun whofinally got the credit he deserved after 27 years in the business.

It was about a Duke team that knew that it could not just show up and win.

That kept battling back when faced with adversity. About a senior,Langdon, who did everything he could to bring his team a championship in his final game. About a coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who showed his usualclass, giving all the credit to Connecticut for the win.

In short, it was about what year in and year out, makes the NCAA Tournament and college basketball memorable.

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