Friday, August 28, 2009

Countdown to Midnight Madness: Week 7 M&M Boys Overpower Duke in Big East-ACC Shootout


Countdown to Midnight Madness-Week 7. December 5th 1990, Georgetown defeats #5 Duke at the Capital Centre, 79-74, in the Big East-ACC Shootout. The Hoyas sought to avenge their defeat by Duke in the Meadowlands 2 years earlier where the #2 ranked Hoyas lost in a major upset. Most people remember Georgetown's victory over #1 Duke at Verizon Center in 2006, but in 1990 the Hoyas used a powerful inside game to overpower the Bluedevils led by Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley. The 1990-91 Hoyas went into the game trying to establish their identity and would end up ranked #20 at season's end. They were led by what Dick Vitale had named the M&M Boys (Mourning & Mutombo). The Hoyas also featured Joey Brown, Charles Harrison, and Robert Churchwell. They were a talented group, but not the dominant team that in 1988-89 was a prohibitive favorite to go the Final Four. In this Big-East ACC shootout, Duke struggled with their outside shooting early only to make a run at the end to make the score closer. It seemed as if the first ten shots the Hoyas took were overpowering dunks by Alonzo Mourning and team captain Dikembe Mutombo. It was indeed a message to college basketball fans that Georgetown was still a force, as this Duke team would play in 4 straight Final Fours. Indeed this would be the next to last year for the Big East-ACC Shootout. It was certainly a victory to be remembered and not forgotten.