LEXINGTON, Kent. (AP) – With a never-give-up rally and a wild ending, Indiana produced an upset of Duke as stunning as any in the Hoosiers’ hoops history.
- Charles Goddeeris
- Indiana coach Mike Davis
[AP PHOTO]
Chipping away persistently at a deficit that was as big as 17 points, Indiana took advantage of another Jason Williams miscue at the foul line and beat the defending national champion Blue Devils 74-73 in the South Regional semifinals last night.
Top-seeded Duke had a chance to tie it with 4.2 seconds left when Williams – a unanimous All-American – was fouled as he made a long 3-pointer to get the Blue Devils within a point. But he missed the free throw, and Carlos Boozer couldn’t convert a follow shot.
Indiana, seeded fifth, makes it first trip to a regional final since Bob Knight took them to the final eight in 1993.
“No one believed in us, that we could win this basketball game,” Hoosiers coach Mike Davis said.
“I hope now that people know I can coach.”
It was the most significant victory of his tenure, which began when Knight was fired in 2000.
Davis jumped high in the air and raced onto the court with his players to celebrate the victory over Duke, which returned four starters from last year’s title team.
Williams, only a 67 percent free-throw shooter, left the Rupp Arena court in tears.