Bleacher Report recently ranked the top-99 North American sports teams of all time, including both professional and collegiate sports. A powerhouse in college basketball, Duke had two of their teams recognized.
No. 67: 2000-01 Duke Blue Devils
Beginning with the 2000-01 team, they were a dominant group under Coach K. During the regular season, they went 35-4 behind the great two-way play from Jay Williams and Shane Battier, who combined to average 40+ points per contest. Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Nate James can't be forgotten either, all averaging at least 12 points per game as well. Freshman guard Chris Duhon filled in the gaps off the bench, averaging two steals per game. In the NCAA Tournament final, they held off Loren Woods, Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas
to win 82-72.
No. 42: 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils
The other Duke team with an entry on Bleacher Report's list was the 1991-92 squad, which featured a dominant senior season from Christian Laettner. Laettner took home AP Player of the Year Honors, averaging 21.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, two assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks. Thomas and Grant Hill each averaged 14 or more points, while point guard Bobby Hurley added 13.2 points and 7.6 assists. With this team, Duke cruised to an overall record of 34-2 and defeated Kentucky 104-103 in the NCAA Tournament final on the infamous Laettner buzzer-beater.
Of all men's college basketball teams on the list, the 1991-92 team ranked fourth, behind the 1995-96 Kentucky Wildcats (No. 35), the 1966-67 UCLA Bruins (No. 16) and the 1971-72 UCLA Bruins (No. 5).
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Two Duke basketball teams named among the greatest sports teams of all-time
