Top 25 March Madness heroes of all-time

Everyone loves to hate Christian Laettner. That was especially true back in the early 1990s when he was one of the most hated Duke players to ever don the blue and white and if you ask anyone who has been a college basketball fan for 30-plus years, they’ll probably tell you he tops the list of most hated.

Why did everyone hate Laettner? Because he was good. He was your typical Duke player who was good at just about everything and that set people off. He wasn’t just good, he was good and he’d let you know it.

Throughout his illustrious college career, though, he will always be remembered for one play. That play still haunts Kentucky fans as it was their opportunity to play for the 1992 national title. In the Elite Eight back in the 1992 NCAA Tournament, Laettner became a Duke legend, as if he wasn’t already, for sending the Blue Devils to the Final Four with one incredible shot.

With 2.1 seconds on the clock and Duke down 103-102, the Blue Devils inbound the ball from 94 feet away, but Grant Hill threw a perfect strike to Laettner who caught it, turned around and drilled a jumper from the free throw line to win. He led the Blue Devils to their second straight national title.

While the entire play deserves recognition, it’s Laettner’s catch, turnaround and shot that will be remembered forever.