ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Richard Hamilton won the national championship he talked about with coach Jim Calhoun in his decision to return for one more year at the University of Connecticut.

Ricky Moore won the battle of Hazel Street in his matchup with his friend and former high school teammate, Duke's William Avery, from their years together back home in Augusta, Ga.

And Khalid El-Amin, the spiritual leader of these underdog Huskies, won the ultimate respect for his toughness and big-play ability down the stretch in Connecticut's stunning 77-74 upset of the Blue Devils.

The three Connecticut guards took over for different stretches last night at Tropicana Field in the NCAA tournament championship game. It was Moore at the beginning, El-Amin at the end and Hamilton all night long.

"I was unbelievably impressed with their three perimeter players," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Individually, they're terrific, but collectively they're even better."

Moore's 13 first-half points helped the Huskies stay close to the Blue Devils, and his defense on Trajan Langdon on two key possessions in the waning seconds proved crucial to Connecticut's victory.

So did El-Amin, who overcame a sloppy start and some second-half foul trouble to score a couple of pivotal baskets as Duke was making a last-ditch run. El-Amin also hit a couple of huge free throws with 5.2 seconds left.

And it was Hamilton, the Big East Player of the Year as a sophomore last season, who did what he has been doing for much of his remarkable out-of-nowhere college career. Hamilton came up big in the biggest game in his life.

It added up to 52 points -- 27 by Hamilton -- to go along with 19 rebounds and nine assists. They did it by taking Duke's defenders off the dribble and taking it right to the heart of the Blue Devils' defense.

"Once the ball went up, we attacked them like they were any other team," said Hamilton, who was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

Said Shane Battier: "It was different from the way teams played us before. It discombobulated our defense."

Moore started it off, returning to his roots as a scorer and reliving his finest offensive moment -- a Big East confrontation against Allen Iverson as a freshman -- to set the tone for the Huskies.

"I think Ricky was the key for them," said Avery, who finished with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting. "I don't think it was because he was playing against me. I think he was keyed up because of the game. A lot of people haven't seen that from him [offensively], but I have."

El-Amin started the game by missing a three-pointer, losing the ball inside, getting a seemingly wide-open drive blocked by Duke's Elton Brand, and being called for traveling in the open court.

But he started the second half with a short jumper in the lane, and he wound up scoring 10 of his 12 points in the half. It was his drive with 1: 04 remaining, a play in which he split between Brand and shot over Battier, to put Connecticut ahead 75-72.

"That's the type of player he is, a clutch player that comes through," Moore said of El-Amin during the wild celebration that ensued on the court.

Said El-Amin: "I wanted to redeem myself for missing two earlier free throws. I wanted to be the one."

Moore was probably the biggest surprise of the game for the Blue Devils. A player who has made his career on stopping the opposing team's big backcourt scorer, Moore turned into an offensive force in the first half.

First he beat Avery for a layup. Then he hit a no-look, over-the-head drive. He banked in an 8-footer, then hit a three-point shot. At one point, when he was fouled by Avery going to the basket, he turned to the crowd and yelled.

"Nobody can guard me! Nobody can guard me!" he said.

In the first half, at least, no one could.

"No one could stop him," said junior forward Kevin Freeman.

And, in the second half, no one could stop Hamilton.

After a relatively inconsistent first half, during which he scored 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Hamilton became hard to guard. He went inside and outside, over and through the Duke defense.

His 3-point shot with a little under 10 1/2 minutes left gave the Huskies a 62-57 lead. His floater in the lane with a little under nine minutes left increased the lead to 63-57.

And after Langdon had tied the game at 68 on a pair of free throws, Hamilton made a pair of free throws himself. He then turned a steal by Moore into a crucial three-pointer with 3: 28 left for a 73-68 lead.

"I don't think it was hard," Hamilton said of his offensive performance. "I think I've been doing the same thing all year."

As the players went up to cut down the net, Hamilton turned to the crowd pumping his fist. The Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, Hamilton could hear their chants, "One more year! One more year! One more year! One more year!"

One more year turned into one national championship for Hamilton and the Huskies. Perhaps the most fitting scenario in this upset came during the celebration that ensued after the final buzzer.

As El-Amin was dancing around the court, his uniform hidden by a long national championship T-shirt, a security guard tried to escort him off the floor. Actually, throw him off might be more accurate.

"I was looking at him, asking him why he was trying to grab me," El-Amin recalled with a smile. "But you know, the other security guys told him that I was a player. I told him, 'Buy me a hot dog after the game.' "

With plenty of mustard.

Pub Date: 3/30/99