The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball
*Starred Review* Almost 20 years later, the highlight still gleams. In the 1992 NCAA East Regional finals, Duke center Christian Laettner takes the overtime pass from the opposite end line, spins, and lofts a shot from the top of the key. Swish. Duke wins 104–103. Many consider it the greatest college basketball game ever. Wojciechowski builds to that momentous shot with a detailed history of both programs in the years immediately prior to the game. Kentucky, devastated by NCAA sanctions, hired coach Rick Pitino from the New York Knicks, and the volatile New Yorker instituted the killer conditioning program necessary to implement his full-court-pressing strategy. It worked. At Duke, Mike Krzyzewski had assembled a self-rejuvenating juggernaut that had yet to win an NCAA title, despite reaching the Final Four four times. The Blue Devils couldn’t get over the hump. In a jaunty, humorous, thoroughly engaging tone, Wojciechowski profiles the coaches, players, assistants, and trainers, offering fascinating portraits of group dynamics as the two coaches employ very different styles to guide their teams to the monumental showdown. This thoroughly enjoyable book will attract college basketball fans across the country, regardless of team loyalties. --Wes Lukowsky