COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : Precocious Kidd, Cal Put an End to Duke’s Reign : Midwest Regional: Hurley rallies Blue Devils, but Golden Bears hold on, 82-77.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski stood on the Rosemont Horizon sideline, the clock ticking down on a game and a dynasty, and began clapping.

No one could hear the heartfelt applause. Even his own players failed to notice the simple gesture. But there Krzyzewski was, clapping for his team as the cold reality of California’s 82-77 Midwest Regional victory against the Blue Devils began to take form Saturday night.

“I was clapping for my team,” he said later in an emotional, tear-filled news conference. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

Thanks for two consecutive national championships . . . for keeping alive a streak that included five Final Four appearances and six in the last seven years . . . for refusing to fold when sixth-seeded California (21-8) had a 17-point lead with 13:25 remaining.

“I’ve been the luckiest guy over the last four years to have spent this time with these two youngsters,” said Krzyzewski, as seniors Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill sat nearby. “I wish you could feel what I feel. Losing a game . . . it doesn’t mean a damn thing. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Third-seeded Duke (24-8) did what it could, but the Golden Bears were always there to do more. Magical seasons are like that.

Hurley, the Blue Devil senior point guard, would finish with 32 points, nine assists, three rebounds, two steals and never leave the court. It should have been a career night, not the end of one.

But in keeping with the theme of the evening, Cal freshman guard Jason Kidd was somehow able to match Hurley’s effort. He handed out 14 assists, grabbed eight rebounds, made four steals and scored 11 points, including a Can-You-Believe-That! one-hander off the glass that dived through the net as he crashed against the floor. The improbable shot, similar to the one that beat Louisiana State three nights ago in the first-round game, gave the Golden Bears a 78-77 lead with 1:11 left to play.

They would never trail again.

And so it went for the Blue Devils. Star forward Grant Hill would get 18 points, but Cal forward Lamond Murray, playing as if he were oblivious to the pressure, would get 28 of his own and add 10 rebounds.

Blue Devil guard Thomas Hill would hit a three pointer. Cal guard Jerod Haase would hit three.

“This is what you dream about,” said Cal Coach Todd Bozeman, who would know better than anyone.

As recently as Feb. 7, Bozeman was an assistant on Lou Campanelli’s staff. Then Campanelli was fired and Bozeman was given the job on an interim basis as the school began a nationwide search for a full-time replacement.

That was 11 victories ago. Since then, the interim title has been dropped and replaced with a three-year contract. Suddenly the Golden Bears are only four victories away from the miracle of Michigan, when the Wolverines, under the gentle guidance of just-named Coach Steve Fisher, won the 1989 NCAA title.

Of course, nobody is quite expecting the same result from the Golden Bears.

“That’s fine,” Bozeman said. “We haven’t had anybody believe in us yet.”

Duke believes. The Blue Devils were down by as many as 16 points late in the first half and by 18 points with 16:50 remaining.

“They knocked us back,” Krzyzewski said.

Then came the inevitable Duke run, one which saw the Blue Devils inch closer and closer until they tied the game, 76-76. The comeback was nearly complete.

But by then, Hurley was close to exhaustion. Bozeman, no dummy, made sure to keep switching fresh defenders on the All-American guard all night. And as the game reached the final minutes, Hurley’s shots began coming up short.

In what was otherwise a remarkable performance, a leg-weary Hurley missed his final five shots, all three-pointers and all crucial.

Afterward, as the Cal players celebrated near midcourt, Hurley stared at the rim that betrayed him.

“I had two that went around and out,” he said. “Those are big shots. In the past, those are shots I made.”

As Hurley made his way off the floor, Cal’s Haase extended a hand and a compliment.

“You’re a great player,” Haase said. “It was an honor to guard you in your last game.”

Hurley mumbled something back, but he later admitted, “I was a little bit lost for a second.”

But no one was more emotional than Bozeman and Krzyzewski. It was Bozeman who, once inside the Cal locker room, broke down in tears, as did his players. He kept repeating, “Great win. Great win. We’re going to St. Louis.”

And Krzyzewski had to pause several times during his postgame news conference as he reflectedon the careers of Hurley and Thomas Hill, who leave Duke with two national championship rings.

“Every time we went out onto a court, I knew they would give me their bodies, their minds and their hearts,” he said. “I’m only sad I can’t do it anymore with them.”