Better Laettner Than Ever For Duke -- Miracle Shot At Buzzer In Ot Nips Kentucky, Sets Up Clash With Indiana

PHILADELPHIA - Christian Laettner hit a miracle turnaround jumper from near the foul line as the buzzer sounded to give defending NCAA champion Duke a 104-103 overtime victory over Kentucky and a fifth consecutive trip to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils (32-2), who blew a 10-point lead with 7:40 to play, missed a chance to win in regulation, then beat Kentucky on Laettner's shot. Grant Hill made a length-of-the-court pass to Laettner with 2.1 seconds to play, and his winning basket marked the fifth lead change in the final 30 seconds.

"We were very very small at that point," said Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino of the situation with two seconds left, after his team took a 103-102 lead. His starting big men, 6-8 Gimel Martinez and Jamal Mashburn had fouled out.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Duke tried to take advantage of the Wildcats' lack of height.

"We wanted to throw it high and have Christian get off the floor and catch it," Krzyzewski said.

The shot was a perfect ending to a perfect shooting game for Laettner, who was 10 of 10 from the field and 10 of 10 from the foul line, and scored 31 points.

"We beat a very determined and great basketball team," Krzyzewski said. "It was an unbelieveable game where kids made great plays."

Duke will play Indiana, which beat UCLA 106-79, as the Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four despite a rare loss of poise in the closing minutes of regulation.

It was the second time Laettner had sent Duke to the Final Four with a buzzer-beater. In 1990, his 17-foot jumper beat Connecticut 79-78 in overtime in the East Regional final.

"I can't believe it happened to me twice in a career," Laettner yelled as he was pounded by teammates and fans.

This time, he grabbed Hill's pass, dribbled once while pivoting away from Kentucky's Deron Feldhaus, and launched a shot that swished through at the buzzer.

"Grant threw a perfect pass," Laettner said.

Top-ranked Duke kept alive its bid to become the first repeat champion since UCLA in 1973, and ended Kentucky's dream return from two years' probation and a three-year absence from the tournament it has appeared in more than any other school.

Duke led 79-69 with 7:40 left when things unraveled for the Blue Devils. Sixth-ranked Kentucky (29-7) turned on its vaunted press and it created several Duke turnovers.

The Wildcats went on a 12-2 run over the next 2:01. Woods hit a three-pointer with 5:28 left to tie the game 81-81 and neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way.

Feldhaus, one of four Kentucky seniors who stayed in the program rather than leave when the NCAA probation was announced, tied the game 93-93 with 38 seconds left in regulation on a rebound.

Duke ran the clock down without calling a timeout, but Bobby Hurley's jumper with four seconds left missed. Kentucky had a final chance with .8 seconds to play, but the ball was tipped out of bounds.

DUKE AT A GLANCE

-- RECORD: 32-2, Atlantic Coast Conference champion, defending national champ, ranked No. 1 in nation all season.

-- NCAA TOURNAMENT: In East Regional, beat Campbell 82-56, Iowa 75-62, Seton Hall 81-69 and Kentucky 104-103 in overtime.

-- TOP PLAYERS: All-American center Christian Laettner, whose 31 points helped beat Kentucky in overtime last night, leads scoring at 21.8 points per game. But the Blue Devils have plenty of firepower. The next four players average between 14.6 and 11.5. Point guard Bobby Hurley, a junior, is already the school and NCAA tournament career assist leader. Sophomore Antonio Lang came up big against Seton Hall with 16 points. Balanced scoring and defense has kept the Blue Devils No. 1 from start to finish during the regular season.

-- TENDENCIES: Duke has played the same system since it started its Final Four run six years ago, making five appearances, including the past four. When the Blue Devils trail, which is rare, they turn to their tough man-to-man defense and rebounding to get the transition game going.

EAST REGIONAL

SCHEDULE YESTERDAY'S RESULT At Philadelphia -- Duke 104, Kentucky 103 (overtime), championship

STAR OF THE DAY -- CHRISTIAN LAETTNER, Duke: Made 10 of 10 field-goal shots, 10 of 10 free throws and scored 31 points, including game-winning shot.

QUOTE -- MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, Duke coach: "I really am stunned. Did that actually happen?"