After much discussion and deliberation, we at The Chronicle have settled on it—the greatest Duke-North Carolina game played in Coach K's tenure. It was Feb. 27, 1998 and Senior Day, and Steve Wojciechowski and the Blue Devil seniors went out at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the best manner possible. Playing as the top-ranked team in the nation, Duke staged a miraculous comeback to take down Tobacco Road rival No. 3 North Carolina and capture Krzyzewski's 500th win and the ACC regular season title. Yes, Gene Banks and Austin Rivers had their day. But the top spot belongs to Elton Brand and the Blue Devils of '98.
In his two seasons at North Carolina, Makhtar Ndiaye has hardly stood out as a quote machine. But one line he uttered in frustration Saturday spoke volumes about Duke's 77-75 victory over UNC.
"Elton Brand, Elton Brand. I'm tired of Elton Brand," Ndiaye grumbled in his deep, thick, Senegalese accent after Brand had led the Blue Devils' spirited comeback.
Ndiaye had just gotten his first up-close glimpse at Brand and had played opposite the Duke freshman for less than 20 minutes. That was enough for him.
In 17 second-half minutes, Brand posted 13 points and four rebounds, including three on the offensive end. On one huge offensive board, he scooted away from traffic under the basket, bolted toward the free-throw line and grabbed the loose ball.
"He looked like a jet," Krzyzewski said. "I don't know how he did that."
Less than two weeks ago, Brand wasn't supposed to play at all, let alone look like a jet in his team's most important regular-season game. He was expected to miss the rest of the season.
Even after he conceded that he might return by Feb. 22, he warned that he would not reach peak game shape until the week of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Apparently, he was wrong. Brand played almost all of the second half and helped Duke turn a 17-point deficit into an inconceivable triumph.
Brand didn't own the paint by himself, though. He had plenty of help from senior forward Roshown McLeod, who scored six of his game-high 23 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes.
McLeod tallied nine points in the first half but had no rebounds in 15 minutes as UNC jumped out to a 42-30 halftime lead. He also allowed Carolina's Antawn Jamison to explode for 14 first-half points and seven rebounds.
Although McLeod added eight points in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half, only one of his field goals came from inside 10 feet. He didn't slow down Jamison, and though Brand's three-basket flurry pulled the Blue Devils within 67-57, McLeod's play in the paint seemed woefully inadequate.
When McLeod picked up his fourth foul with 8:17 left, assistant coach David Henderson greeted him on the sideline.
"David kept talking to him about, 'Your fouls are weak. You need to play stronger and not be just a jump-shooter,'" Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "One thing about Roshown-he listens."
McLeod responded by driving to the hoop on offense and denying Jamison the ball on defense. After flashing past Jamison for the go-ahead points with one minute left, he sported the crazed scowl of a man possessed.
He then made 'possession' a catchword for the Blue Devils, tying up Vince Carter to give Duke the ball on the alternating-possession rule. Although the Blue Devils failed to score, McLeod again made things tough for the Heels, tying up Carter on the next possession to force UNC into an out-of-bounds situation.
By doing so, he helped his team win the ACC regular-season championship and keep a lock on the top spot in the national rankings.
"Everyone gave their word that we are going to be national champions this year," McLeod said. "Tonight, we played like we were."
—Dave Berger
This article originally ran Feb. 28, 1998.
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