Tim Duncan has ascended to basketball immortality over the last two decades. The long-time San Antonio Spur and first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft won five championships, made 15 All-Star games and was a 2-time MVP in his 18-year NBA career.
On this day 20 years ago, Duncan played in the final regular season game of his college career. The venue? The Leon County Civic Center. The opponent? The Florida State Seminoles. The result? A 59-55 FSU victory.
The Duncan-led Wake Forest Demon Deacons arrived at what was then called the Leon County Civic Center on March 1, 1997 ranked fifth in the country. The Seminoles entered the contest on the NCAA Tournament bubble at 15-10 overall and just 5-10 in the ACC.
Throughout the day, FSU had little answer for Duncan, who finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds. The same however, was true for Wake Forest and FSU point guard Kerry Thompson.
The 6-0 New York native finished with a career-high 21 points in the win. Thompson’s layup with under five and a half minutes to play put FSU ahead for good, 46-45. Thompson helped seal the victory with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch.
While the Seminoles had no answer for Duncan, it’s front line did make the Wake Forest big men work on the defensive end. Randell Jackson finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Kirk Luchman added 11 rebounds.
The final contest of the regular season would not only be the last for Duncan at Wake Forest, but it would be the final one for FSU head coach Pat Kennedy. The Demon Deacons beat FSU in the first round of the ACC Tournament six days later, 66-65.
FSU would have to settle for the NIT that year where it was bounced in the final by Michigan. The Demon Deacons would go on to earn a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were upset in the round of 32 by sixth-seeded Stanford.
Looking back however, FSU fans should take pride in the fact that Tim Duncan’s final collegiate game not played on a neutral court was a loss in Tallahassee. It happened two decades ago on this day.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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