In 1988, Duke was ascending but not yet a dominant power. The Blue Devils had gone to the Final Four in 1986 and the Sweet 16 in 1987, but the idea that Duke was about to become the premier brand in college basketball was ridiculous. The best coach in the country?
Everyone knew that was Dean Smith.
In the 1988 tournament, Duke was seeded #2 in the East, behind only Temple. They would face Rhode Island, a team Duke had last seen a decade earlier, in the 1978 tournament, where the Blue Devils won, 63-62.
The second game’s outcome wouldn’t be much different.
Duke was generally a little better than Rhode Island in this one, but Rhody was never far behind.
And in the final minutes, this was a taut, exciting tournament game.
Down the stretch, Kevin Strickland was fouled twice, and early in his Duke career, Strickland was not a confident player. He whiffed both times, but ultimately, it didn’t matter.
The Blue Devils would go on to win 73-72, closely mirroring the 1978 outcome.
The teams would meet again 20 years after the 1988 game. Rhode Island was coached by rising star Dan Hurley, but the Blue Devils won again, this time more comfortably, 87-62.
By the way, one of the announcers is Bill Raftery, and even 38 years ago, he had white hair and looked much as he looks today.
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