1994 Duke vs. Purdue
Re-watch #9 - The Duke Basketball Project
Duke vs. Purdue
Southeast Regional Final
Thompson-Boling Arena - Knoxville, TN
March 26, 1994
Where I was
I remember two things about this game at the time. One, it is my first recollection of somewhat superstitious fan behavior on my part. I had a blue pair of compression shorts, similar to what Grant Hill and Antonio Lang wore under their game shorts. As a 9 year old, I didn’t even know what it meant to be superstitious but for some reason I wore those compression shorts during Duke’s 1994 NCAA Tournament run. I wanted to be just like those guys. The second thing I vividly remember was filling out an NCAA bracket for the first time for my dad’s office pool. He explained to me the rules and guided me through my selections. With my bracket almost complete, I had to choose between Duke and Purdue for my remaining Final Four pick. Dad said I could pick whoever I thought would win, but to make sure I chose with my head and not my heart. I agonized over this selection, obviously wanting Duke to advance but knowing how good Purdue was. Assuming dad’s advice meant he was picking the Boilermakers, I reluctantly advanced Purdue and turned in my bracket.
Why this game
While working on some other research, I have been reflecting on Duke basketball between 1993-1997. There are a few memorable games for me during that stretch and this one definitely ranks toward the top. You can probably tell at this point, but I also love the Elite 8. Regional Finals kind of represent my whole idea for doing these re-watches in the first place: revisit awesome games that are often skipped over when looking back in history.
Storylines
Purdue finished #3 in the final AP Poll of the regular season, with only 4 losses by a combined 12 points. Glenn Robinson led the country in scoring at 30.3 points per game and was coming off a 44 point performance against Kansas in the Sweet 16. Against the Jayhawks, Robinson and Cuonzo Martin combined to hit 14 of 23 from behind the arc to advance the #1 seeded Boilermakers into the Southeast Regional Final. Duke was attempting to reach its 7th Final Four in 9 years. With the departure of senior guards Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill the previous season, there was some doubt that this Duke team, despite being ranked in the Top 10 all year, would be able to advance deep in the tournament. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular season before falling to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, earning a #2 seed for the NCAA’s. Coach K took his team to the Final Four five times as a #2 seed - can you name the five years Duke advanced to Final Four as a #2 seed under Coach K? See trivia answer below.
The Teams
Purdue, coached by Gene Keady, started Glenn Robinson, Cuonzo Martin, Matt Waddell, Porter Roberts, and Brandon Brantley. Ian Stanback, Herb Dove, Linc Darner, and Justin Jennings came off the bench for the Boilermakers. Duke started Grant Hill, Antonio Lang, Cherokee Parks, Jeff Capel, and Chris Collins. Coach K used Marty Clark and Erik Meek as his subs.
The Game
1st Half Summary
It was no surprise Purdue went to Glenn Robinson on their first possession of the game. He slid past Grant Hill on the baseline but Cherokee Parks turned Robinson’s shot away. Hill led the break and found a trailing Antonio Lang streaking to the goal for Duke’s first basket. Grant Hill, the 1993 National Defensive Player of the Year, would continue to shadow Robinson throughout the game. At 6’7” 240 lbs, Robinson was known as the “Big Dog” and, despite his size, could really move without the ball - his constant motion freed him for a baseline jumper. Hill assisted on baskets for Cherokee Parks and Jeff Capel before Matt Waddell hit a floater to set up Purdue’s zone full-court press. Coach Keady would use pressure after makes periodically throughout the game, I think in an attempt to speed Duke up. Excellent ball movement in transition led to a 3 for Grant Hill from the top of the key, assisted by Jeff Capel with the hockey assist to Chris Collins. Hill put so much pressure on the defense by grabbing rebounds and starting the break himself. Glenn Robinson then showed off similar versatility. First, he grabbed a miss and took the ball the length of the floor before dropping a dime to Ian Stanback at the basket. Robinson went coast to coast again, this time finishing off the glass as Chris Collins was whistled for a blocking foul. Jeff Capel hit his first 3 of the game on a pass from Hill before Waddell hit 2 free throws - Duke now trailed 14-16 with 11:46 left in the half. With Hill getting a rest, Robinson curled off a screen to hit an elbow jumper before Antonio Lang put back an offensive rebound. After a Marty Clark turnover, Cuonzo Martin hit a 3 and Porter Roberts added an assist to Stanback before a bucket of his own. When Glenn Robinson hit a crossover step-back jumper over Capel, the Blue Devils now trailed 17-27 and the Big Dog had hit 4 of his first 7 shots. Duke would respond by attacking the tough man to man defense of Purdue, getting free throws from Capel and Parks. Cherokee Parks then scored driving right after catching it at the foul line. With Hill back in the game, Robinson missed a tough jumper before a Chris Collins/Erik Meek ball screen resulted in a long 2 for Grant Hill. After more free throws from Parks and Lang, Duke was back in front by a single point. Matt Waddell answered with a shot off the glass and a 3-pointer. Parks added one last bucket from another offensive rebound and Robinson missed a long 3 as time expired. At the half, Duke led Purdue 11-0 in second chance points, but the Boilermakers shot 52% compared to 35% for the Blue Devils.
2nd Half 20:00 - Duke 32 Purdue 32
Jeff Capel opened the scoring for Duke with a deep 3 from straight on and a long transition 2, while Purdue started 0 for 5 out of the locker room. Both teams picked up the pace slightly, but Capel and Lang could not connect on an alley-oop before Glenn Robinson and Cuonzo Martin missed consecutive 3’s in transition. Matt Waddell hit a 2 from the right elbow and Capel answered with an isolation 3, his third of the game. Duke began to show a different defensive look on Robinson, sending a late double team to help Hill whenever Robinson picked up his dribble. Coach K would use this occasionally as a change-up to keep Robinson off balance. In fact, the Big Dog had not made a field goal since the 7:43 mark of the first half. Ian Stanback was able to hit a jumper over Parks in the post before the under 12 media timeout.
2nd Half 11:37 - Duke 46 Purdue 39
Matt Waddell hit a pull-up jumper before Glenn Robinson pushed the ball up in transition and drew a blocking foul on Grant Hill. It was Hill’s 4th foul and he would exit to the bench with about 10 minutes to go. (Not) coincidentally, Robinson would immediately end his drought from the floor, using a shot fake to score over Lang and Parks. Antonio Lang used a probing dribble, changing direction three times, then crossing over and driving the baseline for a dunk before Porter Roberts responded with a 3. Cherokee Parks then sealed off Stanback in the post, receiving a pass from Marty Clark for an immediate slam. Glenn Robinson missed on a wide open 3 from the near corner, Tony Lang got a baseline jumper to roll in, and Clark came up with a steal as he doubled down to help Lang guard Robinson. Cuonzo Martin used an off-ball screen to curl into the lane for 2. Capel continued his strong offensive night, using a crossover before spinning back to nail a jumper in the lane as he was fouled. Capel would not convert the free throw and Herb Dove would add a bucket for the Boilermakers. Purdue would show a 1-3-1 half court zone for the first time in the game, attempting to trap Duke and up the tempo. The Blue Devils had trouble getting into their offense against the 1-3-1, as Clark and Collins would miss jump shots but Purdue could not capitalize. Martin missed on a 3 and Antonio Lang drew a charge as Robinson drove baseline.
2nd Half 3:52 - Duke 56 Purdue 50
Grant Hill re-entered the game - his teammates had done a terrific job on both ends, allowing Coach K to keep Hill out for as long as possible. Duke led by 5 when Hill picked up his 4th foul, they now led by 6. With the lead, Coach K would elect to run some clock as he did so well throughout his career. Krzyzewski used what I would call “double stack low” at the end of the shot clock to generate offense - isolate the ball at the top and put two men on each block before running late clock action. First, Capel delivered a sensational (and risky) behind-the-back pass to Lang for a layup. Inexplicably, Purdue committed their second inbound violation of the game for stepping over the baseline. The Blue Devils went back to “double stack low” and this time Hill was able to isolate for a pull-up jumper in the lane.
2nd Half 2:45 - Duke 60 Purdue 50
Robinson and Dove both missed around the basket and Purdue chose to begin fouling Duke. Antonio Lang converted 2 free throws, then Cuonzo Martin scored off an offensive rebound. Jeff Capel would split a pair from the line and Chris Collins would miss on a front-end. Robinson and Roberts would miss from long range but Purdue would control the offensive rebound each time, leading to Matt Waddell’s second 3 of the game.
2nd Half 1:01 - Duke 63 Purdue 55
Back at the line, Chris Collins would hit both free throws. After another missed 3 by Robinson, Collins would rebound the miss and find Capel for a two-hand slam, putting an exclamation point on Duke’s win. When Jeff Capel broke free, that was probably the most excited I had ever been as a young fan. I guess it was the combination of Duke not being expected to win and watching the guys elevate their play when Hill went to the bench - it was true team effort and I was pumped up.
2nd Half 0:31 - Duke 67 Purdue 55
Glenn Robinson would get a put back and Cuonzo Martin would hit a 3, as Lang and Collins each made 1 of 2 from the line. Duke was back in the Final Four and Coach K lauded his team after the game.
Final Score - Duke 69 Purdue 60
From the Box Score
Glenn Robinson posted his lowest total of the season, with only 13 points on 6 of 22 shooting (including 2 for 12 in the second half). Matt Waddell led the Boilermakers with 16 points, while Cuonzo Martin added 12 and Ian Stanback had 8. Grant Hill logged 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Antonio Lang and Jeff Capel added 19 points apiece, while Cherokee Parks put up a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Postgame Notes
Both Glenn Robinson and Grant Hill would be selected 1st Team Consensus All-Americans and Robinson was voted National Player of the Year - the first Boilermaker to win that award since the legendary John Wooden in 1932. The Big Dog was drafted #1 overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and signed what is still the largest rookie contract in league history at $68 million for 10 years. Grant Hill would leave Duke with his jersey hanging in the rafters at Cameron before being selected #3 overall by the Detroit Pistons. In 2018, Hill would become the first Duke player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - his speech was terrific. I finished third in the office pool, won $60, and had never been so happy to miss on that last Final Four pick. I stopped filling out brackets a long time ago but still enjoy giving Dad a hard time for steering me in the wrong direction that year.
Trivia Answer
1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2022
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
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