Laettner

LANDOVER -- Perhaps the best test of whether an opponent has been rattled on the basketball court is when the job has been so thorough that the affected party doesn't realize what has occurred.As evidence, meet Duke's Christian Laettner, the rattled, and Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo, the rattlers.The Hoyas' inside forces drove Laettner to distraction at the Capital Centre last night, and as a result, sixth-ranked Georgetown squeaked out a 79-74 win over No. 5 Duke.Laettner shot an underwhelming 5-for-22 from the floor and an uncharacteristic 4-for-7 from the free throw line for 14 points.

Was it the greatest college basketball game ever played?That was the question being asked moments after Christian Laettner's 16-foot jump shot beat the overtime buzzer and enabled Duke to beat Kentucky, 104-103, in the NCAA East Regional final Saturday night at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.The shot by Laettner, which came after he caught a 75-foot inbounds pass from Grant Hill, followed an even more sensational 14-footer by Wildcats guard Sean Woods with 2.2 seconds to play. Woods drove around Bobby Hurley and threw in a one-handed bank shot over Laettner.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Duke showed Michigan's heralded freshmen the difference between good and very good.Bobby Hurley scored four of his 26 points in overtime yesterday to lead the top-ranked Blue Devils to an 88-85 victory over the No. 18 Wolverines."

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Duke Blue Devils did their part. History can decide the rest.The Blue Devils, driven by a seemingly endless supply of emotion, won their second straight NCAA basketball championship last night when they defeated Michigan, 71-51, in the Metrodome.Not since UCLA's streak of seven straight national titles ended with the 1973 championship has a team won consecutive crowns. But the Blue Devils, on top every day of this long and unforgettable season, became the seventh team in history to win back-to-back championships.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Is there anything quite as irritating, quite as difficult to tolerate in others, as perfection?Which would account for those out there who are actually rooting against Duke, the Practically Perfect Team.There are those who have had more of the Dookies and their unrelenting success than they can possibly stomach, and now PTC they want the smirks wiped right off those smarmy, pompous, arrogant, infuriatingly angelic little faces."You'd be amazed at the stuff people throw at us some places, the things they say," said Mike Krzyzewski, the Practically Perfect Coach.

In his six seasons in Indiana, trash-talking forward Chuck Person was fingered as the principal reason the Pacers were labeled classic underachievers, never advancing past the first round of the NBA playoffs.But now Person is playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Pacers, who have lost eight of their past 11 games, still are pointing fingers, only this time they've discovered a bigger scapegoat: 7-foot-4 center Rik Smits.Everyone has been waiting for the Netherlands native to blossom into a superstar since he averaged 15.5 points and 2.0 blocks his second year as a pro. But the agile giant, who is a fine shooter, hasn't fulfilled the expectations of his teammates, making him a target for criticism.

Baseball Philadelphia Phillies -- Signed P Terry Mulholland to a one-year, $2.6 million-plus contract. Mulholland, 29, who was 13-11 in 1992 with a 3.81 ERA, had asked the team for $3.1 million in arbitration and had been offered $2 million. A hearing had been scheduled for Friday. His salary last season was $1.25 million.Basketball Minnesota Timberwolves -- Confirmed that rookie F Christian Laettner has been fined an undisclosed amount for his outburst during Saturday night's game against the Houston Rockets.

In some of yesterday's editions, it was reported incorrectly that Duke University's basketball team has been to three Final Fours. Duke has reached the national semifinals nine times, including the past four in a row. Also incorrect was that Duke's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament victory Sunday was its first. Duke had won eight previous ACC tournaments.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Forget, for a moment, all the talk about repeating. For yesterday, as throughout this year's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, all the Duke basketball team seemed concerned with was re-peaking.

Medals table(Through Wednesday).... .... ....G.... S.... B.... TotUnited States... 113.. 110.. 77... 300Cuba...... ..... 116... 59.. 57... 232Canada.... ...... 17... 33.. 48.... 98Mexico.... ...... 15... 19.. 33.... 67Brazil.... ...... 18... 15.. 31.... 64Argentina......... 4... 11.. 23.... 38Colombia.... ..... 3... 13.. 16.... 32Venezuela... ..... 3... 11.. 17.... 31Puerto Rico....... 2.... 4... 7.... 13Dominican Rep..... 0.... 5... 4.... 9Jamaica........... 2.... 1... 4.... 7Chile..... .....

PHILADELPHIA -- Bonnie Laettner can remember the first time she entered Cameron Indoor Stadium, the celebrated, 52-year-old home of the Duke basketball team."