All subsequent tournament games played in Atlanta are now played at either the Georgia Dome (since demolished) or Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Christin Hinton. The 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. Not really. Baker, Trey There were a few hiccups sure, but nothing that hadnt been ironed out for the 1990 NCAA Tournament. Everything came together perfectly. "Beating that UNLV team was a pivotal moment in Duke basketball history," Grant Hill . Not an arena it was a bleachers and lines all over the floor gymnasium. 1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels during this 1990-91 season, and he was afforded a special seat for the contest. Kentucky did it in 2015. And it wasnt really that close. When the two teams met in Las Vegas in February of 1990, a brawl erupted after UNLV's Chris Jeter head-butted one Utah State player and punched another. Hill almost atoned for his mistake, missing a short pull-up, but Laettner grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled. "I still look at those games like, Wow' when I see the level we were playing. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). It almost worked. I just feel so happy and fortunate that we got here and were able to win it., Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: We were overmatched. The official 1990-91 Men's Basketball Roster for the Duke University "I don't think we were overconfident," he says. #1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels travelled to the Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, AR to take on the #2 Arkansas Razorbacks. Because many people forget or simply ignore the plain truth - LJ kicked everyones ass on the court. Games in the Washington area have since been played at either Baltimore, Landover or in Washington itself at Capital One Arena. DePaul's appearance is, as of 2022, the last appearance of an independent team in the tournament. There is no additional information to display: "We knew we had a target on our back in every game and had to play our best.". Johnson, Cheickna They put on a show, soaring down the court in transition, and harassing opponents on defense. Varnado Jr. Bryan The Runnin' Rebels have one Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1991. It would easy for people to say Im not seeing the big picture when talking about this team. Yeah, we're about to go back-to-back and go undefeated,'" Hill, Duke's starting two guard, says today. How about Canada? We can also describe in great detail the championship game the previous year, a 103-73 victory over Duke. UNLV point guard Greg Anthony: The only thing that surprised me was that we didnt play as hard as we normally do. 1 seed and arrived at the 1991 round of 32 in Tucson, Arizona, with a 31-0 record. All either failed to respond to numerous messages or affirmatively declined to be interviewed. West Boys Roster. The team blitzed through the regular season. UNLV shredded Duke with an 18-0 second-half run to leave no doubt as to which was the countrys finest team. . Nine players from this past year's team have entered the transfer portal. After a 113 to 64 humiliation of Fresno State, UNLV stood at 19-0. Spencer was armed with a soft touch around the basket, effective rebounding and solid passing with true center size. Athletic Trainer. The 1991 Rebels were the bad guys and they loved every minute of their role. But if you really want to talk perfection and dominance, its gotta be the 1991 UNLV Runnin Rebels. On March 2, 1991, the UNLV Runnin' Rebelscoached by perennial NCAA-tormentor Jerry Tarkanian and led by future NBA first rounders Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthonyfinished off a perfect regular season. True to Greenberg's word, Anthony fouled out when he was called for a charge on Davis with 3:51 remaining in the game. Johnson brought the ball up for UNLV on their final possession, and, for a moment, it appeared he would attempt a potential game-winning three-pointer. Plastic Man, with his elastic arms and legs, made it a nightmare for offensive players in an age where defensive player like Shane Battier take acting classes to engage in flopping to gain foul trouble on his match-up. Stacey Augmon had 31 points, Anderson Hunt. Essence Booker, one of four honored on Senior Salute afternoon, made key plays late to lift UNLV to an 18th straight win in beating San Diego State. "I've found out that it's smart never to argue with him," he said, "and I suppose if I were [Knight] I would pick UNLV to win, too.". 1983 Houston and 85 Georgetown were defeated by complete underdogs that many didnt even peg as final fours participants. All Rights Reserved. They don't think we can beat them.'". United States top collegiate-level basketball tournament for 1991, 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, East Regional East Rutherford, New Jersey, Southeast Regional Charlotte, North Carolina, 1991 NCAA Basketball National Championship Game, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments, Duke Blue Devils men's basketball 199091 NCAA champions, 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 1991 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, 1991 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament, 1991 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, 1991 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament, 1991 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament, 1991 National Women's Invitation Tournament, 1991 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1991 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament, "Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown Game Recap March 22, 2013 ESPN", "College Basketball; Smith Ejected on 2 Technicals", "Fordham's road to NCAA blocked by St. Francis, 7064", "The longest winning streaks in college basketball history | NCAA.com", Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series, 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1992 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1991_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament&oldid=1136549342, 199091 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Basketball competitions in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 1991 sports events in the United States, April 1991 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bobby Dibler, David Bair, and Harrell Allen, This was Duke's fourth (of five) consecutive Final Four trip, the first team to achieve such a feat since UCLA. And Hurley controlled the tempo, knowing when to attack in transition and when to be patient. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. "We had something to prove. Tarkanian's group easily captured the Big West's automatic bid and, at 29-5, was given the top seed in the West region. Buckley, Brandon Christian Laettner of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Although UNLV is becoming one now. As 7,963 Canadians looked on (in a stadium that could seat 60,000), the Rebels rolled. Students at Arkansas -- ranked No. Will Saxon. Only Michigans Fab Five in recent memory has captivated the nation like the Rebels did. Let it burn into your cranium. Though his team had gone 0-3 against the Rebels that season, Long Beach State head coach Seth Greenberg said Tarkanian's "biggest vulnerability is if Greg [Anthony] gets in foul trouble." 1990-1991 UNLV Runnin' Rebels Roster # Player Class Pos HT WT . Johnson joined an already loaded squad. While both Cole Field House and Freedom Hall have both been replaced, only Freedom Hall's replacement, the KFC Yum! Weve never discussed going undefeated.. All rights reserved. Don't miss the big stories. Larry Johnson scored 26. This collection contains programs for UNLV men's basketball games and annual guides for men's and women's basketball. We lost to the best team in the country. The Bench Evric Gray: Great college player. Zaon Collins, a star basketball player at Bishop Gorman High School and the top recruit of this year's UNLV class, was ordered released from jail Thursday, a . . Laettner was especially good, finishing with 28 points and seven rebounds while holding UNLV star Larry Johnson to 13 points on 10 shots. Coming off the 1989-1990 title season, UNLV got every teams absolute best shot the next year. But in looking back at UNLVs historic season, Im overwhelmed by one pervading sentiment: 1991 was such a different time in college sports. We had three of the top college players of all time, but we didn't know that then.". This is a discussion on PS3 NCAA Basketball 10/March Madness Legacy: 2020-21 and Classic Team Rosters within the EA Sports NCAA Basketball Rosters forums. Larry Johnson shot 66% from the floor for the season. Instead, the Rebels played without their point guard and managed just three points over their final four possessions. Nuga, Justin The margins were ridiculous. What happened: As upsets go, this is considered one of NCAA lore. "We wanted to show him that we were his best team," Grant Hill says. Larry Varnado Jr. Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Men's Basketball and Volleyball. Fayetteville, Arkansas-area churches moved up their services to accommodate the 1 vs. 2 showdown. Hill, Crawford Koubek, Brian 2 in the nation and standing at 22-1 behind stars Oliver Miller and Todd Day -- had been camping out in front of Fayetteville's Barnhill Arena for a full week in advance of the game, and Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian sought to put the tent city to good use for his own team. Stoeckinger. On that night 30 years ago, Anthony was asked after the game to put into words what had just taken place. As of 2011, the regional broadcasts have been replaced by simulcast feeds on non-broadcast networks owned by Turner Sports. Thomas Hill can recall the exact moment when he knew Duke would achieve one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history: it was during the pre-game lineup introductions. Two of the program's prize recruits, Ed O'Bannon and Shon Tarver, promptly withdrew their verbal commitments to Tarkanian and enrolled at UCLA instead. Men's College Basketball News. Quinn Buckner, for one, had already stated his belief that UNLV was actually superior to his own team. Palmer, Clay The largest crowd in the history of Barnhill Arena showed up to do their Woo Pig Sooieing worst. Why would anyone want to research someone like Wooden who has been built up saintly? Both were ejected. Elmore Spencer: How many teams have a first round pick at the center position on the bench? Title. He also doesn't put stock in the theory that UNLV did not execute down the stretch because of a lack of playing close games. With 1991 UNLV there was absolutely no disputing it. Like everything about UNLV in 91, what transpired next was memorable. Any future tournament games played in Charlotte would be played at Spectrum Center (although the Coliseum did host the Final Four in 1994). That is the fourth-longest consecutive-game win streak in NCAA Division 1 basketball history, and the longest win streak since the longest one ever (by UCLA) ended in 1974. "I sure wish they'd given us a multiple-choice penalty," third-year Kansas coach Roy Williams said of the NCAA. Mutual respected rivals (L to R) Tark & Wooden. At the other end of the floor, however, Duke was overwhelmed on its defensive glass as the Rebels pulled down half of their missed shots and Johnson personally recorded eight offensive boards. Previous Season Next Season. With Anthony on the bench, UNLV managed just three points the rest of the way. I wasnt a great college player, didnt go to a great university and never coached at a big-time program. Wooden teams were dominant with NBA greats Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The 1991 Final Four birthed the Duke dynasty, giving Mike Krzyzewski the first of his five championships. On March 2, 1991, the UNLV Runnin Rebelscoached by perennial NCAA-tormentor Jerry Tarkanian and led by future NBA first rounders Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthonyfinished off a perfect regular season. UNLV stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat UNR in Reno and finish off an 18-0 season in the Mountain West. There was expected to be great turnover on the UNLV basketball roster after a disappointing 12-15 season. A defensive ball hawk and who ran the UNLV offense as smooth as a Cadillac. Good body strength and rebounder. Huh? Its a record that still stands 5th all time. UNLV coach Kevin Kruger is 3-0 against the Wolf Pack, but the Rebels are regrouping after a 91-66 loss to Utah State on Wednesday. "It still hurts. After a timeout, he calmly swished both free throws. As motivation, Krzyzewski told his players in a brief aside that his 1985-86 team, which lost the national championship to Louisville, was the best collective he had coached. I call this a fact that few can argue, yet there are few that will even take on that argument because of all the variables at play with the hated Runnin Rebels. USU's head coach, Kohn Smith, had broken a taboo of his profession in early 1989 when he went on the record as being "happy" that Tarkanian had lost a road game at Louisville by 18 points. Record: 26-2 (18-0, 1st in Big West MBB ) Rank: 7th in the Final AP Poll. Stanford Cardinal (13-17, 7-12 Pac-12) at Oregon Ducks (17 . Lindl, MS, LAT, ATC, Connor On February 10, #1 UNLV traveled to Fayetteville to face #2 Arkansas. These sites are not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with with these teams or institutions. You call winning a game by 2-points better? During the UNLV golden age they won an impressive 45 games straight when you include their final 11 games of the 1990 championship season. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 2 under their Hall of Fame coach. A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. Radio Broadcast InformationCreighton (18-11, 12-6 BIG EAST) plays its final home game of the regular-season on Wednesday, March 1, when it hosts Georgetown (7-23, 2-17 BIG EAST). On Nov. 29, 1990, the Committee on Infractions announced that, after hearing UNLV's appeal, it was giving the program two options. And their opponent in the Final Four was the same team they had defeated 103-73 in the previous year's national championship. 1988 Men's . 1 the entire season and had just one game decided inside double digits, a 112-105 road win at Arkansasa squad that went on to claim one of the other three No. You call getting a bogus and now famous Duke charging call that resulted in UNLV Greg Anthonys foul disqualification better? But unlike Conference USA with its marginal prospects, the Big West had several solid pro prospects in Randy Brown, Cedric Ceballos, Lucious Harris and Byron Russell. Whats up? UNLV had a 23-point lead late in the second half when Tarkanian pulled his starters, and a 3 at the buzzer for the Razorbacks cut the final margin to 112-105. UNLV would eventually reach the national semifinal 30 years ago this weekend having won 45 straight games over a period of 13 months. By continuing to browse or by clicking I Accept Cookies you agree to the storing of first-party and third-party cookies on your device and consent to the disclosure of your personal information to our third party service providers or advertising partners to optimize your experience, analyze traffic and personalize content. Before that St. Josephs in 2004. Have you ever felt as if youre in a washing machine on a super speed setting? The team had only trailed for 38 minutes during the entire campaign. But still, UNLVs last game of a perfect season was played in a gym. But the committee saw the matter differently and imposed the ban on postseason play for 1991, making UNLV . Heres an important piece of the UNLV puzzle. Georgia Tech, with Kenny Anderson and Dennis Scott, gave UNLV a game in the Final Four, but UNLV pulled out a 90-81 victory. Duke lost to UNLV by 30 points in the previous season's championship. Walton went on to write, If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny Jerry Tarkanian and his players have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national championships and be on probation for the next 100 years. The Rebels sank three resulting free throws, and a win streak was born even as trouble loomed off the court. . A contested desperation heave didn't have a chance, clanging off the backboard. Johnson then tied the game after hitting one of three free throws -- Thomas Hill was called for a lane violation. [2] This was the first National Championship game for Williams as a head coach. But the take away: UNLV won, 112-105. Duke, meanwhile, won the first of five National Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015) two nights later. Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, George Ackles and their teammates would enter the 1991 Final Four having trailed their opponents for a total of just one minute and 20 seconds in any second half all season. Some Duke players reportedly cried in the locker room after the 103-73 defeat and starting point guard Bobby Hurley later admitted that during the summer of 1990 he had recurring dreams of swimming with sharks. Kruger, Carlin To mimic the Runnin' Rebels' swarming defense -- which shifted between man-to-man and the Amoeba, a 1-1-3 zone that combined ball pressure and corner traps with man-to-man concepts -- Duke starters played 5-on-7 against the bench in practice. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. We became a great program at that moment.". The guy had the power of a post player with the shooting touch of a perimeter man. Twenty-five years later the question is still asked: How did Duke pull it off? Larry Varnado Jr. Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Men's Basketball and Volleyball. A fourth player, George Ackles, went . Spencer was considered by many to be a top 25 high school player. So weve made it to March. The UNLV-UAB contest capped off a day of basketballa girls game at 12:15, a boys game at 2:15, a matchup between the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria at 4:30, and then finally UNLV. 4,032 fans showed up to see the Rebels cruise to a 104-83 win. I should know; I was there, ball-boying my way as close the Rebels as possible. With 99 Duke they werent even ranked as the number one team in the country. The protagonist/antagonist characters are so striking you would have to be blind not to see. As the sideline reporter assigned to the Duke bench, Brown related to Nantz and Billy Packer that "Coach K wanted his team to get out to a fast start and not allowing his guys a chance to get scared.". Fresno State is now 5-4 against UNLV in Hutson's five seasons. The Jayhawks had been unable to defend their 1988 national title in Williams' first season because of NCAA penalties. And many still question the charging call that knocked him from the game with under four minutes to play. If there was a weakness to Ackles, other than his lack of offensive ability, it was his foul trouble. Things got interesting with 2:27 to go when Day and Johnson got tangled up under the basket. No post season for the Rebels. Four of Fresno State's 10 wins have come in true road games (three in conference play). Contact/Follow @SportsNewMexico & @MWCwire. Games played in Detroit since have either been at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Ford Field or, starting in 2018, Little Caesars Arena. Why? Duke, meanwhile, won the first of five National Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015) two nights later. For the second time, Indianapolis was the host of the Final Four, this time at the Hoosier Dome, which would host the Final Four three more times. He went on to express his view that the Rebels, in effect, played by a different set of rules and that the UNLV program should be investigated from top to bottom, up to and including the players' grades, class attendance, cars and summer jobs. Brown, Josh We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Equally impressive was Augmons ability to finish in transition. Ast, Mike Webster, Donovan Florida State by 32. Henry, Will Augmon would like to refute a few notions surrounding the upset. UNLVs 91 team remains one of historys absolute best, Prime, socially distanced March Madness viewing spots around the Valley, Nevadans in Congress go to bat for resorts as Biden goes after 'junk fees', Video shows CCSD Police slamming Black teen to ground near school, U2 confirms 2023 MSG Sphere residency in Las Vegas, Father, son open their 17th McDonalds location in Las Vegas, Golden Knights win at Minnesota, but lose Thompson to injury. Depending on how you wanted to defend UNLV, Hunt could have 15 or 30 points. They lost to Duke. Todd Day, Oliver Miller, and Lee Mayberry anchored the Arkansas squad. Hunt had a sweet shooting stroke, solid perimeter defense and above average athleticism to finish above the rim. To this day, the Rebels are the only team to top 100 points in the title game, and the win over Duke still stands as the largest margin of victory ever recorded in a championship final. 1990-1991 UNLV Runnin . Find out more. But what makes them different than, say, 83 Houston, 85 Georgetown or 99 Duke? McCabe, Keshon For those who think the argument ends with the fact they didnt win. At the time, we knew the defeat ended UNLVs undefeated season after 34 wins. He still can't bring himself to click on the link provided by the NCAA's March Madness channel on YouTube. Simply put, most opponents were already beat before the game even started. A total of 63 games were played. Former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton had by this time become a vocal fan of the No. But Augmon (31 points), Hunt (26) and Johnson (25) were too much. UNLV basketball scores, news, schedule, players, stats, photos, rumors, depth charts on RealGM.com . AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. The Blue Devils were playing in their fourth Final Four in five years, but Mike Krzyzewski had yet to win it all and his team had a reputation as, in the Chicago Tribune's phrasing, "the familiar bridesmaids." So the back-on title defense began. Johnson rang up 35 points and was termed "a man among boys" by MSU head coach Jud Heathcote. Visit ESPN to view the UNLV Rebels team roster for the current season. How could he not take up for what he had built? The foul would go down in UNLV lore as the questionable call that cost the team a championship. In advance of the rematch on the Aggies' home floor, Utah State took out a full-page ad in the Logan Herald Journal. Previous Season Next Season. "I looked over at Brian [Davis] and said, We got these MF's. Not an undefeated squad to be found. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The semifinal upset also ended the run of one of the most culturally influential college basketball teams ever. There is no additional information to display. ", The game was referred to in basketball circles afterward as "40 minutes of layups.". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Check out the detailed 1990-91 Virginia Tech Hokies Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. The Rebels met Duke in back-to-back Final Fours in 1990 and 91. Although the times would be adjusted, the same basic format was in place until 2010. 27-0. Center, has hosted games since. The final game on the regular season slate was Cal State Fullertona school with almost nothing to brag about in the basketball department (Leon Wood on the 84 Olympic squad?) Krzyzewski's team would go on to defeat Kansas in the championship game and earn Duke its first national title. Join our linker program. The Runnin' Rebels were the defending national champions on a 45-game winning streak. "We were a little more focused and more mature," Thomas Hill says. For the game, Fullerton nearly doubled its average attendance. As for Johnson, it was widely assumed that he would enter the 1990 NBA draft and quite possibly be taken as the first overall pick. During the weekend of the second round, the national telecast began at noon, with the regional windows (three on Saturday, two on Sunday) following. One of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history ushered in the Duke Dynasty and ended the run of one of the most influential college basketball teams of all time. One 34-year-old coach in particular had made what turned out to be a strikingly prophetic observation to Sports Illustrated. Jones and Stanford host Oregon. Unsung hero: David Butler of UNLV, one of the toughest and best defenders in school history.