I had a chat with a Duke fan this morning and she asked me why I hate Duke so much. I didn't hesitate when I replied with "1992... that's why." Back then, I was in junior high school and already a rabid Kentucky fan. I had suffered through the end of the Eddie Sutton years and the probation era, but was excited about what Rick Pitino had done in such a short time. We went 22-6 the year before, but was unable to play in the post-season, so Big Blue Nation was waiting for that opportunity in 1992.
UK marched through the first three games, including a 10 point victory over UMass (and their young coach, John Calipari) in the regional semi-final, and then advanced to the next round to play Duke for the right to advance to the Final Four. That Friday and Saturday, most people didn't give Kentucky much of a chance to beat the Blue Devils... but I believed. I believed they could, and they almost did, until Christian Laettner hit the improbable shot in overtime to sink Kentucky and break the heart of thousands of the Big Blue faithful.
Since then, my heart has healed some, mainly thanks to Kentucky's victory over the Blue Devils in 1998. It would probably heal faster if CBS didn't insist on showing and re-showing Duke's winning shot over and over every year, but I guess that's just a foolish pipe dream, because even though it broke my heart, it was still one of the greatest moments in the history of the college basketball game.
That doesn't mean we have to like it, or Duke, and I certainly don't. And, now that Kentucky is out for the season, I can easily find reasons to root for any of the other three teams in the Final Four. As long as Duke doesn't win it, I'll be just fine.
With that in mind, enjoy the games, folks. It won't be long until Kentucky is there again, shooting for #8.
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