DURHAM, N.C. ? Sean Dockery was Christian Laettner, and Josh McRoberts served as Grant Hill. In one dramatic last-second play, a new generation of players added to the lore and magic that is Duke basketball.

All at Virginia Tech’s expense.

“You don’t think about that stuff when you’re out of the court,” Hokies guard Zabian Dowdell said.

He sure got a firsthand look at it.

Dockery made a heave from about 40 feet with less than a second left, giving the top-ranked Blue Devils an improbable 77-75 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

It conjured up memories of Laettner’s shot at the buzzer that beat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament, when he took a pass from Hill and swished a jumper from near the top of the key. Much as Hill did, McRoberts set the play in motion with perfect aim.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” McRoberts said. “It was kind of surreal to watch.”

The frantic finish denied the Hokies a stunning upset after they rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 41â2 minutes. Coleman Collins capped the comeback by tipping in a miss by Zabian Dowdell, and after conferring with TV replays, the referees put 1.6 seconds back on the clock for the Blue Devils (7-0).

Coach Mike Krzyzewski drew up a play for burly center Shelden Williams, but assistant Johnny Dawkins saw Dockery was virtually unguarded. He urged the senior guard to make himself available for McRoberts’ pass, if Williams should be covered.

That’s exactly how it happened.

“I knew I had plenty of time,” Dockery said. “I had confidence in the shot and I knocked it down.”

No. 18 Washington 99, No. 6 Gonzaga 95

Seattle – Jamal Williams had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Washington overcame Gonzaga standout Adam Morrison’s 43-point night.

No. 7 Louisville 67, Arkansas St. 55

Louisville, Ky. – Taquan Dean made six three-pointers and scored 24 points to help Louisville improve to 3-0. Juan Palacios had seven points and nine rebounds.

No. 16 UCLA 69, Coppin St. 57

Los Angeles – Arron Afflalo scored 20 points and keyed a second-half rally with Cedric Bozeman to lead UCLA (6-1) to its fifth straight victory at Pauley Pavilion.