Duke basketball: 15 programs who hate Coach K’s success

Ranking haters of Duke basketball greatness: No. 2 Kentucky

Duke, specifically Christian Laettner, stomped on Kentucky’s heart in the 1992 East Regional Final. Yes, The Shot alone is reason enough for the Lexington-based fanbase to rank behind only one program on this list (hmm, wonder which one that could be).

But some 27 years after Laettner’s heroics, the Blue Devils blew out the Wildcats, 118-84, in what was one of the most electric performances Mike Krzyzewski’s program has ever displayed. In between those two games, Coach K’s teams came out on top in three of the five meetings. Overall, the Hall of Famer is 6-2 against Kentucky.

And while it is true that the staff in Durham has fallen short a few times of the expectations that come with reeling in one five-star recruit after another, it’s ironic — and kinda sad — that Kentucky fans are among the harshest critics. After all, the Wildcats have finished with either the No. 1 or No. 2 class in the country in each recruiting cycle since 2008 and have only one national title to show for it (Duke has hung two of the supreme banners during that span).

Look, I could go on and on about the hate Kentucky folks have flung at us Dukies ever since ’92.

Now, enough with pretending there is any suspense here over who deserves to be No. 1…