AT FINISH, DEVILS LEFT BLUE.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. The question lingered all season. As the blowout wins mounted, how would Duke fare in a close game with everything on the line? When it came to that time at the Final Four, the Blue Devils - this team of 20-point blowouts and unbeatable proportions - were no better than a .500 club. Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski (ʃəʃɛfˈskiˌ; in American English transliteration "shuh-shef-skee"; born February 13, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois), often referred to as Coach "K" had been here plenty of times. He told his team that a national title most people all but handed to Duke weeks ago wouldn't be as easy as everyone predicted. Duke's six-point victory over Michigan State in the national semifinals Saturday raised some questions. The Connecticut Huskies The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey (Atlantic answered them with a 77-74 victory Monday night that denied the Blue Devils (37-2) their third national championship of the 1990s. ``It wasn't a matter of us being overconfident o·ver·con·fi·dent adj. Excessively confident; presumptuous. o  ver·con ,'' said Duke forward Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9 1978 in Birmingham, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association and the U.S. national team. . ``UConn was a hell of a team. They really came out focused.'' In the Duke locker room, players stared off into space in silence. Senior Taymon Domzalski Taymon Domzalski (born May 7, 1977 in Lovington, New Mexico) is a retired American basketball player. He has played collegiately for the Duke University from 1995 to 1999 under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Duke reached the Final Four final in 1999, losing it to the UConn Huskies. - all 6-foot-11 of him - was squeezed inside his locker, not wanting to face reality. ``It stings,'' added Domzalski, his eyes welling up with tears. ``It was a great race we ran, but it didn't end the way we wanted it to. ``This one we felt like we had it right there in our hands and it slips away, we were fighting and clawing, but it was a tremendously helpless feeling. We did everything we could, but it just didn't happen.'' Krzyzewski, coaching in his fifth title game of the '90s, said he could handle Duke losing the title if his team didn't beat itself. He and the Blue Devils came face-to-face with that prospect late in the game as the Huskies refused to wither or be intimidated by Duke's gaudy record or reputation. ``Anyone who expects me to be down about this game, they don't understand me,'' said Krzyzewski. ``I'm not going to be down about this game because it would take away from my experience with this group.'' Trailing by one with 24 seconds left, Krzyzewski put the ball in the hands of his senior leader Trajan Langdon Trajan Shaka Langdon (born May 13, 1976 in Anchorage, Alaska) is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 3" shooting guard, he gained fame in the U. S. while playing college basketball at Duke University. , who led the Blue Devils with 25 points. This time, however, Langdon didn't come through. His path halted by UConn defensive stopper Ricky Moore, Langdon traveled trying to drive into the lane with Duke trailing by one. Then, after a pair of free throws by Khalid El-Amin Khalid El-Amin (born April 25, 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional basketball player. He was a member of the 1999 UConn men's basketball team that won the NCAA championship. He is originally from Minnesota where he played for North High School in Minneapolis. , Langdon lost the ball trying to make a play, any play that would save Duke, falling to the ground as the clock ran out. Krzyzewski's wife, Mickie, buried her hands in her face, and Langdon was consoled by assistant coach Quin Snyder as the Blue Devils walked off the court in stunned disbelief, heads hanging low. ``That's the way the game goes,'' said Langdon. ``But that's not the game, there's millions of plays in that game that determine the outcome. So, I'm not going to hang my head on that play.'' In the end, all the double-digit wins didn't matter as Duke became the 20th straight team with zero or one loss entering the NCAA Tournament to come away without the crown. ``We win together, we've had a lot of success, and we lost together,'' said Chris Burgess. ``But it happened.'' Duke plans a celebration at Cameron Indoor Stadium The building originally included seating for 8,800, though standing room was sufficient to ensure that 12,000 could fit in on a particularly busy day. Then, as now, Duke students were allowed a large chunk of the seats, including those directly alongside the court. , the scene of many blowout wins this year, this afternoon. What will Battier tell them? ``They should be proud of us regardless of what happened,'' Battier said. ``This was a magical season, it didn't end the way we had hoped. But not too many teams can say they won 37 games in a season.'' RECORD WIN After losing to Connecticut Monday night, Duke failed to break the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association record for most victories in a season. This year's Blue Devils share the record with Duke's 1986 team and the 1987 UNLV UNLV University of Nevada, Las Vegas team. Wins School Year 37 Duke 1999 37 Duke 1986 37 UNLV 1987 36 Kentucky 1948 CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO (Color) Duke's Trajan Langdon, unable to make a big play, will try to wipe away memories of the final seconds. Dave Martin/Associated Press BOX: RECORD WIN (see text) |
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