NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Final Two: Rebels, Blue Devils : Duke: Henderson makes a long-awaited three-point shot as Arkansas runs out of breath, 97-83.

How long does it take to shoot?

One, two . . .

Phil Henderson stood beyond the three-point stripe and held the basketball with slender fingers as an eerie calm descended over him.

He seemed to move in slow motion, nothing like the game around him. Henderson and Duke led Arkansas by three points, only four minutes away from the NCAA championship game.

. . . three, four . . .

Henderson slowly raised the ball into a shooting position. He was surprised no Arkansas player ran out to challenge him, so he took his time.

. . . five, six . . .

The ball left Henderson’s hands. It found the center of the hoop, and Duke soon found itself in the NCAA championship game. Henderson’s third three-pointer marked the middle of a 17-4 wave of Duke points down the stretch as the Blue Devils defeated Arkansas, 97-83, in their Final Four semifinal Saturday at McNichols Arena before 17,675.

Duke (29-8) will play Nevada Las Vegas (34-5) in Monday night’s NCAA championship game. The Rebels defeated Georgia Tech, 90-81, in the other semifinal matchup.

In their eighth Final Four appearance, the Blue Devils have a chance to win their first national title. Duke’s long wait for a possible championship seemed as long as it took Henderson to shoot.

To Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, it seemed an eternity.

“There are certain plays you always remember in a game and I’ll never forget how long it took Phil for that three-point shot,” Krzyzewski said.

The Razorbacks, who led, 69-62, with 10:38 to play, held a 79-78 advantage at the six-minute mark. When Alaa Abdelnaby dunked with 4:32 left, Duke was ahead but by only 84-81.

Then Henderson got the ball.

As soon as he let it go, Duke forward Christian Laettner raised his arms, signaling in advance that the shot was good.

Henderson said he waited to shoot on purpose.

“I knew it was a big shot,” he said. “I just wanted to concentrate, so I took a little extra time. I didn’t realize I took as long as everybody said.”

The Razorbacks, who waited 12 years to get back to the Final Four, found themselves out of breath and out of the tournament at just about the same time.

If foul trouble didn’t get them--centers Mario Credit and Oliver (Big O) Miller fouled out--then the Mile High City’s altitude apparently did.

“We were really huffin’ and puffin’ and blowin’,” Richardson said.

Henderson followed his three-pointer with a breakaway layup when the winded Hogs failed to run the floor. Lee Mayberry’s basket got Arkansas back to within 89-83 with 3:22 to play, but that would be the Hogs’ last points.

Arkansas had two field goals the last 6:56.

When Henderson misfired, Arkansas had a chance to cut the lead to four. But Todd Day forced and missed a three-pointer--leaning into defender Bobby Hurley--and Laettner rebounded.

Day, who led Arkansas with 27 points and seven rebounds, said he had run out of gas.

“I was a little bit winded and the shot wouldn’t go down,” Day said.

Henderson scored again on a drive, Mayberry missed and Laettner rebounded again and was fouled. Laettner’s two free throws gave Duke a 10-point lead, 93-83, with 1:38 to play.

Abdelnaby had 20 points, Laettner 19 points and 14 rebounds and Robert Brickey 17 points and 11 rebounds as Duke controlled the backboards with a 46-37 rebounding advantage.

The Razorbacks, who shot only 39.7%, fell short trying to match offensive flurries with Duke. The Blue Devils jumped ahead, 16-5, to start the game, but Arkansas trailed, 46-43, at the half.

Duke began the second half with an 8-0 streak and led, 54-43, before Arkansas began its own streak. The next six minutes belonged to the Razorbacks, who took off on a 26-8 run.

Day had nine of those points, including a three-pointer when he stepped back behind the stripe on a three-on-one fast break. Ron Huery’s three-point play gave Arkansas a 69-62 lead with 10:38 to go.

Richardson, resplendent in red snakeskin boots, believed his team was about to kick Duke out.

“I thought they were getting ready to break,” he said.

It seemed even more possible because Laettner had picked up his fourth foul. Howell’s free throws with six minutes left gave Arkansas its last lead, 79-78, which also coincided with the beginning of the Razorbacks’ conditioning problems.

Regarded as the lesser running team, Duke actually outscored Arkansas, 20-12, on the fast break. The Blue Devils had 12 fast breaks to only seven for Arkansas.

“I think they were winded,” Laettner said. “I don’t think they expected us to run like we did. When they said before the game that our big men couldn’t run with them, sure, it might have pumped us up a little, but we knew we could run, too.”

Richardson said he was not surprised by Duke’s ability to run.

“I don’t know why everybody thinks they are a slow-down team,” he said. “They don’t work the ball upcourt. They can run, let me tell you. And they can also shoot, especially Phil.

“That wasn’t a surprise, either,” he said. “He’s a senior. Our kids are babies.”

They do speak their minds, though. At their pregame press conference, Arkansas’ players had irritated Duke’s with comments about the speed of the Blue Devils’ big men, the Razorbacks’ self-styled “40 Minutes of Hell” and about looking forward to playing UNLV again this season.

“Of course, we talk mess out on the court, too, but this is not the place to talk about their comments,” Henderson said. “We won and that’s it.”