It’s the single most iconic play in NCAA Tournament history. The one that gets replayed every March. The one that defines what it means to be clutch.
March 28, 1992. The East Regional Final. Duke vs. Kentucky. The defending national champion Blue Devils were in overtime, locked in a dogfight with a gritty Wildcats team led by Jamal Mashburn. With Duke down 103–102 and just 2.1 seconds on the clock, they had one last chance.
Grant Hill, from the baseline, heaved a full-court, 75-foot pass to Christian Laettner, who caught the ball at the free-throw line, dribbled once, turned, and drilled a fadeaway jumper as time expired. Final score: Duke 104, Kentucky 103. Pandemonium.
Laettner finished that game with 31 points and 10 rebounds, hitting all 10 of his field goals and all 10 free throws—a flawless performance in the most pressure-packed moment imaginable. The win sent Duke to its fifth Final Four and set up their eventual back-to-back championship run.
That single shot not only cemented Laettner’s place in NCAA lore but also kept Coach K’s rising empire intact. Without it, Duke’s early ‘90s dominance—featuring titles in 1991 and 1992—might have been a forgotten “what if.” Instead, it became the stuff of legend.
