Consideration -- yes, but personally, I think they still come up short to Dawkins-Amaker.
Thomas Hill and Hurley kind of started for three years together -- Hill was a sporadic starter in 1991. He started 23 of 39 games - two more than Billy McCaffrey. In 1992 nd 1993, Hurley and Hill were the starters (except when Hurley was hurt). They did start together on two national championship teams (since Hill started during the 1991 NCAA Tournament).
I would still argue that Dawkins and Amaker were better. Hurley was a great playmaker (greater than Amaker) and a great on-the-ball defender (almost as good as Amaker). Hurley was the better offensive player, averaging 12.4 ppg for his career to Amaker's 8.5 (although Amaker did shoot over 46 percent from the floor -- Hurley was 41 percent). On the other hand, Thomas Hill -- as good as he was -- was not in Dawkins' class. It's not close.
Hill did make All-ACC three times -- all third team and twice the final player picked to the third team. There was no third team when Dawkins (two time first team; twice second team) and Amaker (once second team) played.
Hill and Hurley did have a bit more team success -- but a couple of guys named Christian Laettner and Grant Hill might have helped a little.
Don't get me wrong -- I think Hurley and Thomas Hill deserve to be in consideration, but not at the top. After reading this thread and thinking about it, I'd rate them:
1. Johnny Dawkins and Tommy Amaker
2. Chris Duhon and Jason Williams
3. Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill
4. Bob Verga and Steve Vacendek
5. Chris Duhon and JJ Redick (they actually started more games together than Duhon and Williams ... the only reason they are not higher is that Redick only became a GREAT player as a junior in 2005 ... he was still good in 2003 and 2004, when he played with Duhon, but was a fairly one-dimensional player at that point).
6. Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer (only one year as the starting backcourt, but it was a pretty good year)
7. Tate Armstrong and Jim Spanarkel (only together in 1976, when Spanarkel was a freshman and through the first 13 games in 1977)
8. Quin Snyder and Kevin Strickland
(tie) Quin Snyder and Phil Henderson (I wanted to include Quin -- a much underrated player -- but he really only started with Strickland in '88 and Henderson in '89. Still, Duke went to the Final Four both years).
That's about as far asmy memory goes back. I'd like to include Buzzy Harrison, but he never really played with a first-rate guard. Same with Gary Melchionni. He overlapped with Dick DeVenzio (who was prett good) one year, but Melchionni was sick most of that year and played less than Jeff Dawson. Maybe Bob Bender and Spanarkel in '79 or Bender and Vince Taylor in 1980, but that would be stretching things. Heck, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry in 2011 were a better combo (even if Curry started just 19 of 37 games). Maybe Redick and Paulus in 2006 (Redick was a great SG and OPaulus did lead the ACC in assists as a freshman).
Personally, i can't rate Smith and Irving in the top 10 off eight games ... but they would have been awfully darn good.