Sports
Haters guide to the Final Fo— nah, scrap that. Duke leaves no room to hate anything else
One of the most thrilling and important games in the history of this tournament that doesn’t get mentioned enough happened on March 30, 1991: Duke’s 79-77 upset of previously unbeaten UNLV at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.
Or maybe it’s been mentioned enough and decades have passed. But I feel like I see Grant Hill to Christian Laettner — which happened one year later — 500 times for every replay I see of UNLV’s Anderson Hunt missing a 3 at the buzzer, into the hands of Bobby Hurley, into scenes of euphoria on his side and disbelief on the other. Keith Smart against Syracuse, Michael Jordan against Georgetown, Mario Chalmers against Memphis, Gordon Hayward from halfcourt against Duke — so close! — the finishes immortalize the games.
But Laettner’s winning foul shots, into Larry Johnson’s regrettable decision to pass to Hunt rather than attack, should warrant more replay rotation considering what that national semifinal meant. Yes, it meant Bob Knight’s 1975-76 Hoosiers were preserved as the last perfect team, fittingly in the Hoosier Dome. It meant no repeat title for Jerry Tarkanian and his renegade Runnin’ Rebels.
Most importantly, it was the last night in American sports history that it was OK to like Duke. More accurately, it was the last night it was OK to not hate Duke.
This was supposed to be a Hater’s Guide to the Final Four, following up similar public services before, such as the College Football Playoff and World Series. But Duke doesn’t leave much oxygen for anyone else. Haters and Duke go together perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly. Or liver pate and Pinot Noir.
Florida’s gator chomp is goofy. At least half of the Auburn and Florida fans on hand Saturday at the Alamodome will have been tricked into believing they’re about to see an unsanctioned spring football game. If Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson meet in the title game, it’ll be the show-cause showdown. Are we good here? Back to Duke.
Yes, of course, people hate Duke because of all the winning. Two days after Mike Krzyzewski’s inspiring upstarts upset UNLV — avenging a 30-point blowout loss a year earlier — they took out Roy Williams and Kansas for the championship. It was his first and Duke’s first. He would win four more with the Blue Devils, more in that time than rival North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas, the blue bloods that laughed at the idea of Duke being part of their club until Krzyzewski forced his way into it.
But Connecticut has won six championships in that time, its first in 1999 coming at the expense of what still might be Krzyzewski’s best team ever. So why don’t people hate UConn like they hate Duke, even with Dan Hurley begging them to do so?
One, Duke has more than a decade’s head start on inclusion in another exclusive club, that of Notre Dame football, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and the like — sports franchises that boast large followings and engender deep resentment among those not on the respective bandwagons.
And then there’s all the elitism, hypocrisy and objectionable personalities. “Two rings” Hurley may get there some day, but as of yet, there’s no documentary in existence titled, “I Hate Danny Hurley.” It’s been a decade since ESPN debuted “I Hate Christian Laettner.” It took him a year to go from righteous slayer of the UNLV dragon to face of sports villainy.
On the same night he hit arguably the greatest shot in NCAA Tournament history, off the Hill baseball pass to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Laettner also stomped on the chest of Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake while he was down on the court. It looked like a pro wrestling move. Duke has churned out more than its share of college hoops heels since then.
Forget that for every Cherokee Parks, Steve Wojciechowski, JJ Redick and Grayson Allen — players who annoyed opponents and non-Duke fans to the point of inspiring some to construct websites devoted to hating Duke — there are actually many more Duke players who are easy to like. Guys like Grant Hill, Thomas Hill, Chris Carrawell, Shane Battier, Jon Scheyer and, really, the entire team he’s coaching in San Antonio this weekend. I guess one rotten grape can spoil the whole bottle of Pinot.
Laettner apologized for that kick, by the way, in the documentary, which is a fair and nuanced look at how a narrative can spin out of control.
But see, that’s really the issue with Duke, at least for people who have paid much attention to college basketball in the 40 years since Duke became its most consistent force. The 1991 Duke-UNLV subtext was “program that does it the right way overcomes program that does it the wrong way.”
Time and perspective recast the late Tarkanian as a guy who had the guts to call out the farce of amateurism and big business coexisting, the guy who famously said of the rule enforcers who loved to make an example of him: “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, they’re going to give Cleveland State two more years of probation.”
Time and perspective also tell us Krzyzewski had an amazing knack for raking in the best talent in America for a guy who offered only room, board, tuition at an elite private school and his coaching skills. You don’t compete at that level for that long if you don’t swim in some murky waters at times, and if you think Duke never did, search Myron Piggie on Google. Or Marvin Bagley III.
Too many in media have wanted to confer “white hat” status on Krzyzewski as compared to, say, a Tarkanian. That’s not to say Krzyzewski didn’t do things “the right way” or that there isn’t a difference. But “the right way” used to be falsely applied to the farcical idea that some coaches were above having to deal with the underground — but very real — market. It should apply exclusively to caring about players as more than players and enhancing their development as people.
Krzyzewski’s magnificence in that area helps explain why the Duke brand is as strong as ever today. Also, just because you have an elite academic institution with a lot of top students in your program doesn’t mean you take only top students. You have to make exceptions and deal with outside forces to get the best talent all the time. Krzyzewski had the best talent all the time.
Still, there’s a “holier than thou” thing about Duke. Maybe it’s more from the outside than the inside. But it’s there. And that’s where the haters draw their inspiration.
Now that the money’s on the table, things are very different. Except that Duke still gets the best players. Duke might have another great coach, too. Scheyer has handled the enormous task of following his mentor with aplomb, with humility, with no arrogance detected. He’s hard to dislike.
But give him a championship, and some time.
(Photo of Grayson Allen and Mike Krzyzewski: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)
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In just his second season at the helm, Curt Cignetti led Indiana to its first national championship.
During the Hoosiers’ title run, Cignetti became known for his demanding coaching style. Indiana opened spring practice Thursday, and incoming transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh got a crash course in what it means to play for Cignetti.
Marsh, who transferred from Michigan State, arrived at practice in gold cleats. After noting Marsh’s productive two-year stint in East Lansing, Cignetti pivoted to the wideout’s footwear.
Nick Marsh (6) of the Michigan State Spartans runs the ball up the field during the first quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ford Field Nov. 29, 2025, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“I didn’t love those gold shoes he came out in today,” Cignetti said. “He learned what getting your a– ripped is all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started.”
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Marsh totaled 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Michigan State. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover also headlines Indiana’s transfer additions.
An Indiana Hoosiers helmet during a game against the Ball State Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium Aug. 31, 2019, in Indianapolis. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Cignetti added that the coaching staff has “more work to do with this group than the first two teams,” noting the group is still learning more about players the team will likely rely on next season.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti during the second quarter against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Indiana went 16-0 en route to a thrilling win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship in January.
Cignetti framed his callout of Marsh’s cleats as an early message about expectations.
“That was a wake-up call,” Cignetti said of the receiver’s pre-practice cleats. “But he’s really worked hard, done a great job for us.”
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Redondo Union didn’t care that Mira Costa’s volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in California. This was their South Bay rival coming to their gym Thursday night, and anything can happen when a team digs deep and doesn’t fear losing.
The Sea Hawks (14-2) were aggressive from the outset and came away with a 27-25, 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13 victory.
“Chemistry,” setter Tommy Spalding said about the Sea Hawks’ triumph. He’s one of three players headed to MIT, and all three had big matches.
At one point on back-to-back plays, Carter Mirabal had a block and Vaughan Flaherty followed with a kill off an assist from Spalding. Chemistry.
JR Boice, a Long Beach State commit, was delivering kills, and Cash Essert’s serving and all-around play kept Mira Costa’s Mateo Fuerbringer looking frustrated. The Sea Hawks’ focus was on Fuerbringer, who came alive in the fifth set with six kills, but Redondo was able to come back from an 11-9 deficit.
It was only Mira Costa’s second loss in 25 matches. Redondo Union took over first place in the Bay League.
Baseball
Orange Lutheran 3, Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian 2: The Lancers advanced to the semifinals of the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C., behind a walk-off single in the eighth inning by Andrew Felizzari. Brady Murrietta had tied the score with a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh. CJ Weinstein had two doubles for the Lancers.
Venice (Fla.) 12, Harvard-Westlake 0: The Wolverines were limited to three hits at the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C.
Casteel (Queen Creek, Ariz.) 3, St. John Bosco 2: The Braves suffered their first defeat in North Carolina. Jack Champlin threw five innings and also had two RBIs.
Chatsworth 6, Taft 3: Tony Del Rio Nava threw six innings and had two RBIs in the West Valley League win.
Granada Hills 4, El Camino Real 3: A two-run single by Nicholas Penaranda in the seventh inning keyed a three-run inning for the Highlanders in their West Valley League upset. JJ Saffie had three hits for ECR.
Cleveland 4, Birmingham 3: The Cavaliers pushed across a run in the top of the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie in the West Valley League win. Joshua Pearlstein finished with three hits, including a home run.
Sun Valley Poly 4, San Fernando 2: Fabian Bravo gave up four hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Parrots, who are tied with Sylmar for first place in the Valley Mission League. Ray Pelayo struck out eight for San Fernando.
Verdugo Hills 15, Kennedy 1: Cutlor Fannon had two doubles and four RBIs in the five-inning win. Anthony Velasquez added two singles and four RBIs.
Westlake 9, Agoura 4: Jaxson Neckien hit a three-run home run to power the Warriors.
Thousand Oaks 7, Calabasas 5: Gavin Berigan, Jeff Adams and Cru Hopkins each had two hits for the Lancers.
Oaks Christian 11, Newbury Park 2: Dane Disney contributed three hits in the Marmonte League win. Carson Sheffer had two doubles and three RBIs.
Santa Monica 12, Simi Valley 4: Ryan Breslo and Johnny Recendez had two RBIs and a triple for Santa Monica. Ravi Chernack had three RBIs.
Dana Hills 7, Corona Santiago 0: Gavin Giese finished with eight strikeouts over six innings and gave up one hit for Dana Hills.
Softball
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 10, Sierra Canyon 0: Kelsey Luderer contributed three hits and two RBIs while freshman Ainsley Jenkins threw five scoreless innings.
Chaminade 15, Louisville 2: Norah Pettersen had two hits and four RBIs.
Carson 10, San Pedro 0: Atiana Rodriguez finished with three hits, including a double and triple, and three RBIs.
Huntington Beach 6, El Modena 2: Willow Kellen had three hits for the Oilers.
Murrieta Mesa 15, Chaparral 0: It’s a 16-0 start for the Rams. Tatum Wolff hit two home runs.
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The fiancée of Buffalo Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin received a roaring welcome home in her first appearance of the season Wednesday night, months after undergoing a lifesaving transplant after she suffered heart failure during a vacation in France.
Carolina Matovac, 25, was shown on the jumbotron during Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins. Fans cheered as she waved, and Dahlin, who was also shown on the screen in a split, cracked a smile at the crowd’s reaction.
Carolina Matovac and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres pose on the red carpet at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Feb. 1, 2024. (Nicole Osborne/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Welcome home to Carolina Matovac, the fiancée of our captain Rasmus Dahlin,” the arena announcer said. “She is back with us, attending her first game of the season. The Sabrehood loves you, Carolina.”
In an open letter to fans in September, Dahlin shared that Matovac had been feeling ill for several days during their trip, which led to her experiencing “major heart failure.”
“Fortunately, she received CPR on multiple occasions, and up to a couple of hours at a time to keep her alive, which ultimately saved her life. Without her receiving lifesaving CPR, the result would have been unimaginable. It is hard to even think about the worst-case scenario,” he wrote at the time.
Rasmus Dahlin (of the Buffalo Sabres prepares for a faceoff during a game against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., Oct. 9, 2025. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
Matovac remained on life support for weeks before receiving the transplant in France.
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In January, Matovac revealed she was pregnant when her heart failed, adding that her unborn child was the reason she went to the hospital initially.
“You will always hold a special place in our hearts as our first baby, even though we never had the chance to meet. Our love for you is endless,” she wrote in a post on Instagram on what was supposed to be her due date.
“Though you didn’t get to experience this world, you played a vital role in ensuring that I could continue to be a part of it.”
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin follows the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on April 1, 2025. (Marc DesRosiers/Imagn Images)
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Despite taking some time to be with Matovac as she recovered in their native Sweden, Dahlin is second on the team with 65 points, and the Sabres are on the cusp of ending an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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