ANN ARBOR (Monday, December 11, 1989) - Rumeal Robinson hung suspended in mid-air, then seemed to inexplicably shift to the left and rise still higher as he put in a soft shot off the backboard.
The basket was called off when the referee noticed that Robinson had been the beneficiary of some illegal assistance by teammate Loy Vaught ...
Robinson's apparent defiance of gravity was symbolic of Saturday's Duke-Michigan game, which seemed to constantly eclipse itself in a display of athletic superlatives.
Sean Higgins' two free throws in overtime finally sealed the 113-108 victory with 1.9 seconds remaining - and not a tenth of a second sooner.
It was a game in which the eighth-ranked Wolverines (5-1) proved that they belonged ...
The overtime was merely an encore to an already exceptional performance. In the first half, Michigan used a combination of accurate shooting and bruising rebounding to open up an 18-point lead ... "We've got kids who are winners and who play hard," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said.
ANN ARBOR (Sunday, December 15, 1991) - It almost happened in Ann Arbor.
The raw talent of a young Michigan basketball team forced Duke, the reigning national champions, into an overtime dual and almost shocked the world (again) in an 88-85 loss ...
After trailing by as much as 17 in the first half, Michigan started the second half with a 24-13 spurt ...
Rookie Chris Webber scored 12 of his 27 to spur the comeback. Webber outperformed Duke's celebrated inside force, center Christian Laettner, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who recruited Webber intensely, loved what he saw.
"Chris was outstanding," Krzyzewski said. "Forget about 'Is he one of the top freshmen?' because he's just one of the top players. He's beyond his years."
After the game, the players in the Michigan lockerroom were noticeably quiet, but their spirits were intact.
"Duke is the No. 1 team in the country," guard Jalen Rose said. "But a couple plays here, a couple plays there, and we would have won."
MINNEAPOLIS (Tuesday, April 7, 1992) - Michigan's mission to shock the world a second time came up short last night as Duke held off the Wolverines, 71-51, in front of 50, 379 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Christian Laettner and Grant Hill teamed up to halt Michigan's fabulous run in the tournament, and to give the Blue Devils their second consecutive championship banner.
They are the first team to repeat since UCLA did it in 1973.
Laettner shook of a horrid first half to help close out his stellar career with a 19-point performance. Grant Hill chipped in 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds ...
"I think he's their best player," Jalen Rose said, when asked if he was surprised by Hill's play. "He's a more versatile player than Laettner."
Hill and Laettner were supported by the play of Tournament MVP Bobby Hurley, who finished with nine points, but dished out only seven assists ...
Chris Webber led the Wolverines with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds ...
The Michigan squad was able to hang in for a while in the second half. Ray Jackson picked up a loose ball and fed to Jimmy King, who went in for an uncontested jam to make the score 39-37 with 16:28 to play.
But then the fouls began to add up ... And from that point on, it was a matter of some frantic play by the Wolverines and Duke capitalizing on several easy baskets ...
"I feel we deserve it," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
By Danielle Rumore
Daily Sports Editor
DURHAM, N.C. (Monday, December 9, 1996) - He didn't break the backboard this time, just Duke's pride. This dunk was even better, even more monumental. And while it didn't destroy the basket, it was certainly earth-shattering.
Robert Traylor took a pass from Travis Conlan, put the ball on the floor for one dribble and delivered a slam dunk with 6.2 seconds left that the Blue Devils won't likely forget, giving No. 7 Michigan a 62-61 victory over 10th-ranked Duke yesterday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The lane "parted like the Red Sea," Traylor said.
Despite struggling with Duke's stifling defense all afternoon, Traylor managed to win the game for the Wolverines and, in the process, destroy Duke's previous stellar 103-1 home record against non-conference opponents.
With the Devils up 61-60, sophomore guard Trajan Langdon tried to hit Roshown McLeod in the post ... but the pass fell right into Maceo Baston's hands.
After a 20-second timeout and with just 19 seconds on the clock, Conlan drove around a Duke defender and passed to Traylor in the paint.
ANN ARBOR (Saturday, December 13, 1997) - In a sight becoming familiar on the Ann Arbor campus, Michigan fans swarmed a local playing surface following a big-time victory.
Fortunately for the Wolverines, the spontaneous action took place after an 81-73 victory over top-ranked Duke.
"Today was a lot of heart," Louis Bullock said. "What you saw today was a team coming together under adversity."
After trailing by as many as 17 early in the second half, Michigan rebounded with its best closing stretch of the season.
But Bullock took the comeback on his shoulders after halftime and impressed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"Bullock hit huge shots," he said. "Two of his (3-pointers) came when we had 10- or 12-point leads. Those count more."
The Blue Devils - 70-7 in their history when ranked No. 1 - played four games in the top spot prior to facing Michigan today.
- Michigan vs. Duke all-time series
(Duke leads 13-7)
1963 Michigan 83, Duke 67 Ann Arbor
1964 Duke 90, Michigan 81 Final Four (Kansas City, Mo.)
1964 Michigan 86, Duke 79 Durham
1965 Duke 100, Michigan 93 Detroit
1966 Duke 96, Michigan 75 Durham
1967 Duke 93, Michigan 72 Ann Arbor
1968 Michigan 90, Duke 80 Durham
1969 Duke 73, Michigan 68 Ann Arbor
1970 Duke 95, Michigan 74 Durham
1989 Michigan 113, Duke 108 (OT) Ann Arbor
1990 Duke 75, Michigan 68 Durham
1991 Duke 85, Michigan 77 (OT) Ann Arbor
1992 Duke 71, Michigan 51 NCAA Final (Minneapolis)
1992 Duke 79, Michigan 68 Durham
1993 Duke 73, Michigan 63 Ann Arbor
1994 Duke 69, Michigan 59 Durham
1995 Michigan 88, Duke 84 Ann Arbor
1996 Michigan 62, Duke 61 Durham
1997 Michigan 81, Duke 73 Ann Arbor
1998 Duke 108, Michigan 64 Durham
12-10-99
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