From: kdelgado@loligo.cc.fsu.edu (Kevin Delgado)
Subject: Destiny Night at FSU
Organization: Florida State University Department of Know-it-alls
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 00:33:10 GMT


I have been thinking all week about this game. I said to myself, "No way
will FSU beat Duke...they are too tall, too quick, too ACCURATE." But
tonight was a night of destiny.

I stood for 3 hours in the _pouring_ rain on line to get into the civic
center. By the time I got in I was totally soaked, and the floors of the
center were just concrete...talk about treacherous footing! Anyways, I quickly
made my way around the arena to get to my usual seats under the basket. When
I got there, the usher told me that the seats down there were reserved for
the goddamn football recruits. I WAS PISSED. After I finished cussing that
bitch out, I tried to get back around the arena to try the other seats. By
the time I got there they were gone. So I didn't get my "seats close enough
to spit on Hurley", but I did get mid-court seats (50 rows up *sigh*).

As I watched the pregame warm-ups, I noticed that Duke wasn't shooting too
well (unlike last year when they hit almost every shot in practice), and I
thought, "maybe we could...nah". Soon enough the game started.

The game started off with FSU in its brand new gold uni's (a gift from Burt
Reynolds I believe), and did they look sharp! Things got off to a good pace,
slower than I had imagined, but still good. The refs jumped all over FSU
early on, and in general were lousy the whole game (mostly in Duke's favor,
but not nearly as bad as last year's bought-and-paid-for crew). Duke seemed
to have the early edge...just a bit too tall and too talented. Grant Hill
*WAS* Duke's offense (anyone who still thinks he isn't a great player is
simply stupid...he scored more than a quarter of Duke's points). It seemed
that noone could defend against Hill. As I expected, Kennedy put Bob Sura
on Hill to begin (Sura is the best man-to-man defender...he was used to stop
Alonzo Mourning last year in the dance), but Sura couldn't get it done. Pat
would switch between Sura, Edwards, and Dobard covering Hill, but none of
them could do it. Going into the final few minutes of the half, FSU picked
up the pressure, and got the momentum on thier side, going into the half with
a 4 point lead.

Destiny. During half time, FSU honored its Orange Bowl winning football team.
They wheeled the trophy out, they players and coaches took a bow, and even
Ward came out to wave to the fans. Then it got wild. During the half time
"hoop-dee-doo" contest (where a player starts from mid-court, has to make a
lay-up, a free throw, a three point shot, and, if there is still time left
on the thirty second clock, a shot from mid court for $10,000 or a brand new
Ford Mustang) the first contestant...of two...start out from mid-court. He 
made the easy lay-up, went and took his free throw...sank it, and missed his
first three. The second dropped, and he quickly headed back to mid-court to
try the long bomb with just a few seconds left on the clock. He shot.......
NOTHIN' BUT THE NET. The crowd went wild. I felt sorry for the next guy up,
having to go after the other guy had just won it all. He started off from
mid-court, sank the lay-up, eventually sank the free throw, sank the three,
and headed back to they time line. He missed his first shot, and his second
hit the rim just as time ran out...but he still one a hundred bucks!

The second half. Duke came out with some really good adjustments, and in no
time were back in control of the game. The refs again started jumping on
FSU, but no matter. Hurley and Grant Hill just had a field day shooting on
FSU, but near the end of the half, FSU stiffened up to take the lead. Duke
managed to tie it, and had an opportunity to win it (as did FSU), but a nice
defensive play by Charlie Ward sent the game to OT. But with Doug Edwards
having fouled out just before the end of the half...it didn't look good. 
Byron Wells came into the game in place of Edwards....destiny.

OT was INTENSE!!! FSU and Duke played some awesome ball keeping it nip and
tuck. By that time I had gnawed my fingers to the bone, and had yelled so
much my throat was litterally bleeding. Back and forth the two teams went,
one great play after the other, and then it happened...Grant Hill picked up
his fifth foul. I thought, "now...now we have a chance". With just five
seconds left on the clock, and FSU down by two, Byron Wells got open on the
wing and took the shot. Destiny...it dropped. With still 2.1 seconds left on
the clock, and with Duke's shooters on the court, there was still that last
in-bounds-shoot-and-hope-to-God-it-falls play to go. Duke set up thier play,
and tried to make the in-bounds pass to Hurley. Charlie Ward came streaking
in from behind to make the big-time steal, and it was over. Well's three
pointer had done it, and the house went nuts.

I don't have any scores for the game, but I know that Grant Hill had 25 on
the night, and was simply the best player on the court. FSU nows holds on to
sole possesion of second place and the ACC, and looks towards its next
opponent, conference leader UNC. This game is in the Dean-dome, and I don't
expect there to be any potent-potables or dairy products...just a real hard
fought game.

Kevin (who won't be speaking for a few days)

p.s. To all you guys who said FSU wasn't a top 25 team: IN YOUR _FAAAACE_!!!

Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college