The campus may have been basketball-centric in 1997-98, but the hoops craze reached an even higher level in the Class of 2001's sophomore year, as Duke became the first school ever to place both its men's and women's basketball teams in the national championship game.
The women started the year off slowly at 1-3, but blazed through the conference schedule with a 15-1 mark. Led by six seniors, Duke returned to the Elite Eight for the second straight year before facing three-time defending champion Tennessee. The Blue Devils shocked the Volunteers, capturing the program's biggest win ever and earning its first-ever berth in the Final Four. Duke then rolled past Georgia before top-ranked Purdue validated its ranking with a 62-45 win in the national championship.
The men, one of the country's most dominating teams during the decade, cruised through the regular season, had an unprecedented 19-0 mark in the ACC and boasted a school-record 32 straight wins heading into the title game against Connecticut. But the Huskies pulled through late, 77-74, silencing the thousands of raucous fans gathered in front of the big screen in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The loss in the championship game stunned the campus, but more disappointments lay ahead: Elton Brand, who swept every major national player of the year award, announced his decision to leave for the NBA draft shortly after Coach Mike Krzyzewski underwent hip replacement surgery. Will Avery soon followed his roommate's lead, while Chris Burgess decided to transfer. Then, in perhaps the most surprising move, freshman Corey Maggette jumped ship, and the combination of departures seemed to leave the once-mighty program in tatters.
The University also prepared for a significant change
The plan to overhaul upperclass residential life also neared completion, as officials spent much of the year considering possibilities for renovating Main West Campus. A scaled-down version of the initial ambitious and costly plans, the proposal suggested converting Trent Dormitory into academic space and at that time envisioned 400 new bed spaces on West.
Throughout the year, much administrative energy focused on Duke's efforts to improve its financial status with a $1.5 billion capital campaign. The Campaign for Duke went public in October with an extravagant bash in Cameron Indoor Stadium. At various points during the year, officials announced multi-million dollar gifts donated toward the campaign's ambitious goal, with the largest being $20 million from Microsoft chair Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, a Duke alumna.
During the year, several relatively new student groups--including the Campus Social Board and Students Against Sweatshops--asserted their presence on campus. After a 31-hour student sit-in in the Allen Building in January, SAS and administrators agreed to toughen the University's stance against sweatshop conditions in factories that manufacture Duke-licensed products. The January sit-in paved the way for future protests, and successes,
Socially, the off-campus, house party scene continued to grow, which raised many safety concerns early in the fall. More bars opened on Ninth Street and Brightleaf, including two more Irish pubs.
The Health System enjoyed another robust year, acquiring several new facilities throughout North Carolina, including Raleigh Community Hospital.
The campus student governments, however, suffered through a turbulent year. The Duke Student Government elections were tainted by apparent voter fraud involving 500 extra ballots. And Eric Phifer, Graduate and Professional Student Council president, entered a protracted dispute with his executive council. The feud went so far that, for a time, Phifer refused to call GPSC meetings.
The English department also experienced its ups and downs during the year, weathering a harsh external review and the departure of several prominent faculty members. By the end of the year, however, the department hired a new chair and made offers to five top professors.
In the fall, the men's cross country team qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 27 years. Meanwhile, the men's soccer squad suffered a stunning 3-2 upset against unheralded Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAAs. The football team began the season with two straight wins and six weeks later was poised for a bowl run. But the Blue Devils dropped their final three contests, and the poor finish cost head coach Fred Goldsmith his job.
The Duke sports highlight of the year happened after graduation, when the women's golf team won the national championship in Tulsa, Okla. The win was the fourth national championship in school history and the first for a Duke women's team.
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