In the first three rounds, games were shown on a regional basis, except for one game each on Saturday and Sunday in the second round. Instead, the Rebels overcame a one-point deficit midway through the second half and won going away, 95-75. UNLV reeled off its next 16 wins by an average score of 103-71 before encountering what experts forecasted to be an actual challenge, a true road game at Arkansas. Spencer was armed with a soft touch around the basket, effective rebounding and solid passing with true center size. UNLV would eventually reach the national semifinal 30 years ago this weekend having won 45 straight games over a period of 13 months. Complete roster for the 1991-1992 UNC Basketball team. UNLV had its way with UAB. Losing the most lopsided championship game in tournament history had battered Dukes psyche. Though UNLV led 43-41 at halftime, Duke remained confident. Stacey Augmon had 31 points, Anderson Hunt. You call a last second shot that hits the backboard and grazes the rim better? A contested desperation heave didn't have a chance, clanging off the backboard. Hill almost atoned for his mistake, missing a short pull-up, but Laettner grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled. ", The game was referred to in basketball circles afterward as "40 minutes of layups.". The Rebels got some extra time to prepare for Air Forces unique offense, but are likely to be without two starters again as they try to snap a three-game losing skid. 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. 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 . DePaul's appearance is, as of 2022, the last appearance of an independent team in the tournament. Do you have a sports website? ESPN reported in January of 1990 that Augmon would reunite with his 1988 Olympic team coach, John Thompson, and transfer to Georgetown if the Rebels were ineligible to play in the 1991 postseason. Augmon, Anderson, and Hunt had led UNLV to the Elite Eight the year before. The UNLV men's basketball team, called The Runnin' Rebels, and the women's basketball team, called the Lady Rebels, are NCAA Division I teams and part of the Mountain West Conference. Sucker punch in OVC tournament leads to 3 ejections. Anderson Hunt: He was one of the most dangerous players on the team. He gave Duke sophomore Christian Laettner (5-of-12 shooting) fits in the final. 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. Tar Heel Times UNC Sports & Recruiting News. The Jayhawks had been unable to defend their 1988 national title in Williams' first season because of NCAA penalties. 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 tournament also returned to Charlotte in 1991, this time to the new Charlotte Coliseum, then the off-campus home of the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team. Record: 34-1 (18-0, 1st in Big West MBB ) Rank: 1st in the Final AP Poll. It wasn't. If Anthony didnt get into foul trouble against Duke, wed almost certainly be talking about UNLVs back-to-back championships today. As journalists its just easier to say that bad guys wear black and good guys wear white when in truth the real intentions of men are somewhere in the middle called the grey area. 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?) Still, those of us who grew up with Jerry Tarkanians Rebels will tell you, theres been no team better in the history of college basketball history than those 1990-1991 Runnin Rebels, even without a championship cherry on top. Duke led 79-77 with 12.7 seconds left in the game. If youre a basketball nut like me, you saw HBOs UNLV documentary. While both Cole Field House and Freedom Hall have both been replaced, only Freedom Hall's replacement, the KFC Yum! Greenberg added that "Johnson may be the best player in the country, but Anthony is their key.". Todd Day, Oliver Miller, and Lee Mayberry anchored the Arkansas squad. When asked over email to name the most significant change from the 1990 team, Hurley simply replied: "Grant Hill. To understand just how different it was, consider the following four numbers. A fourth player, George Ackles, went . 1991 Georgetown (jd) 1991 UNLV (jd) 1992 Duke (jd) 1993 Michigan (jd) 1993 North Carolina (jd) 1994 Arkansas (gagablagblag) 1995 UCLA (jd) For those who think the argument ends with the fact they didnt win. Laettner, Grant "I don't think we were overconfident," he says. That and the fact that perfect regular seasons are exceedingly rare in college basketball. With 1991 UNLV there was absolutely no disputing it. 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. And in game situations, he had no qualms telling you how he felt. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Theyre just better than we are. This tournament marked the first time a #15 seed upset a #2 seed since the tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, when Richmond accomplished against Syracuse in the East region. Thats like saying the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpacks victory over Phi Slamma Jamma meant they were better. THIS WAS THE the first Final Four called by Jim Nantz for CBS, and his future broadcast partner, Grant Hill, was a freshman for the Blue Devils. All Rights Reserved. Why? The largest crowd in the history of Barnhill Arena showed up to do their Woo Pig Sooieing worst. No title defense. Larry Laettner, Davis and Grant Hill were able to find gaps in UNLV's interior defense, and remarkably, the Blue Devils shot 52% on their 2s as Laettner rang up 28 points. UNLVs roster included three of the eventual top 12 picks in the 1991 NBA Draft: Larry Johnson (first overall), Stacey Augmon (9th) and Greg Anthony (12th). Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation's YouTube channel for highlight videos, features, analysis and more. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). In this March 30, 1991, file photo, UNLV's Anderson Hunt (12) and unidentified teammates leave the floor after losing to Duke in an NCAA national semifinal game in Indianapolis. The rodeo came to Las Vegas and the Thomas & Mack Arena, so UNLV had to find somewhere else to start the season. Former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton had by this time become a vocal fan of the No. The Duke and UNLV programs went on wildly divergent paths following the game. Bob Knight wasn't going to go that far, but he did predict that the Rebels would beat the team coached by his own onetime player at Army and assistant at Indiana, Krzyzewski. Larry Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds while Final Four Most Valuable Player Anderson Hunt scored 29 for a UNLV team that shot a sizzling 61 percent. Because many people forget or simply ignore the plain truth - LJ kicked everyones ass on the court. Chappell, DeShawn This tournament adopted the NBA's 10ths-second timer during the final minute of each period in all arenas. Stacey Augmon: To say that Augmon should be ranked among the best defensive players in college basketball history is not an idle boast. Then the NCAA handed down its verdict. The Blue Devils opened the game against UNLV by making their first five shots and taking a 15-8 lead. You call winning a game by 2-points better? The 1991 Runnin Rebels are the greatest college basketball team of all time. The official 1990-91 Men's Basketball Roster for the Duke University Laettner made two free throws with 12.7 seconds left, and Duke won 79-77 when Hunt's contested 3 from 25 feet missed long just before time expired. 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. 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. Webster, Donovan The perfect season was over, and so was the pressure that accompanies maintaining perfection. Video & Recruiting Coordinator. Saxon, Christin Join our linker program. Florida State by 32. Johnson, Cheickna It was, as Im now old enough to say, different times. Ast, Mike Ill see you after the game, Johnson threatened as the referees pulled the players apart. The Rebels never even rolled out their crippling press for the final contest of the regular season. While they knew they werent thugs or convicts they played with swagger and gave menacing stares after destroying the rim. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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Palmer, Clay UNLV's roster included three of the eventual top 12 picks in the 1991 NBA Draft: Larry Johnson (first overall), Stacey Augmon (9th) and Greg Anthony (12th). UNLV had reason to be confident entering the 1991 national semifinal game. Hunt totaled 29 points for the game and was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. In fact, the team that beat them (Connecticut) spent more time on the court as the #1 team in comparison to Duke. But what makes them different than, say, 83 Houston, 85 Georgetown or 99 Duke? The semifinal upset also ended the run of one of the most culturally influential college basketball teams ever. 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. As of 2011, the regional broadcasts have been replaced by simulcast feeds on non-broadcast networks owned by Turner Sports. Augmon used good ole fashioned foot speed and length to disrupt positions 1-through-3. 1990-1991 UNLV Runnin . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Anthony was icing his shooting hand during timeouts, Hunt was also banged up, UNLV was assessed a technical for protesting a hard foul by Bobby Hurley, countless 50/50 calls went Duke's way including an egregious non-call on Laettner with 1:31 remaining. Unsung hero: Brian Davis, a reserve wing for Duke, scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes. Dembele, Justin Muoka, Bryce Duke's gameplan against UNLV mirrored every David's game plan for Goliath: manage the game, be efficient on offense, no fast breaks, no turnovers, be aggressive and sprinkle in a hard foul every once in awhile. Tarkanian died in 2015.) "I'm not real big on their whole operation," the first-year head coach had said of UNLV. Good body strength and rebounder. One 34-year-old coach in particular had made what turned out to be a strikingly prophetic observation to Sports Illustrated. The core five of Butler (15.8), Anthony (11.2), Augmon (14.2), Hunt (15.9), and Johnson (20.6) each . 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. UNLV 77, Duke 79, Kentucky 103, Duke 104, Notre Dame 91, UConn 89, Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62. 103-73. 1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels during this 1990-91 season, and he was afforded a special seat for the contest. They lost to Duke. 1991 UNLV Roll Call: The Starters. More School Info. Richmond became the . Not really. On This Day In UK Basketball History On March 2, 1970, Dan Issel scored 42 points against Auburn. Former KU player Milt Newton called the NCAA's decision on UNLV "gutless and spineless.". 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. Although not on the trash-talking level of todays college players, Anthony was clearly the kind of player that make you regret any trash-talking you dished out. But if you really want to talk perfection and dominance, its gotta be the 1991 UNLV Runnin Rebels. It was also the first time a team reached 100 points in the championship game. UNLV came down court with one final chance at keeping its dreams alive, but Anderson Hunt's 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play bounced off the rim. Many locals can tell you exactly where they were when Hunts shot just missed its mark. Greg was our leader.". In their quest to be the first undefeated men's college basketball champion since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers, UNLV, at 34-0, had obliterated the so-called competition: 32 of their 34 victories were by double digits. "I would watch their games. If you doubled Larry Johnson in the post or tried to collapse the driving lanes of Augmon or Anthony, you paid the price. "I think it's the best a team has ever played against me," Krzyzewski said afterward. March 2, 2018 2:48 pm MT. Neither team looked the least bit scared. He was one of the strongest players in the post with a 36 + vertical, a post-up game, face-up game, ball handling and 3-point range. Thats the beauty of college basketball and its blemish. But Augmon (31 points), Hunt (26) and Johnson (25) were too much. Hide/Show Additional Information For Royce Hamm Jr. Hide/Show Additional Information For Reece Brown, Hide/Show Additional Information For Josh Baker, Hide/Show Additional Information For Trey Hurlburt, Hide/Show Additional Information For James Hampshire, Hide/Show Additional Information For Marvin Coleman, Hide/Show Additional Information For Cameron Burist, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. For the first time, CBS Sports showed all 63 tournament games. Johnson then tied the game after hitting one of three free throws -- Thomas Hill was called for a lane violation. But with three new starters the 1990-91 Duke squad was a much different team both in roster and disposition. Because they were vicious and explosive, while destroying everyone by an average of 26.7 points. UNLV beat in-state rival Nevada by 50. Elmore Spencer: How many teams have a first round pick at the center position on the bench? Hell, Ill even go on record and say the 1990 UNLV squad belongs in the top 10 of all time teams. We won some. The foul would go down in UNLV lore as the questionable call that cost the team a championship. Unsung hero: David Butler of UNLV, one of the toughest and best defenders in school history. Four of Fresno State's 10 wins have come in true road games (three in conference play). Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. What is hard for many to fathom is UNLV's 1990-91 roster was stronger and more ruthlesswith an average margin of victory of 26.7 points per game prior to a stunning loss to Dukein that . Arkansas raced out to an early lead. Awaiting them was the rare opponent who actually had better size than the Rebels. It was a strange affair. 2023 The Draft Review. "It still hurts. A defensive ball hawk and who ran the UNLV offense as smooth as a Cadillac. Usual start times were noon and 7:30 or 8 p.m. Eastern time on each of the Thursdays and Fridays. I never felt I could win this. The Blue Demons would join the, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 22:15. "We heard some of the worst comments," Tarkanian would recall in 2009. The left-hander often backed up Ackles or Larry Johnson depending on foul trouble and opposing team personnel. Updated December 31, 2020 - 7:44 pm. Baker, Trey He still can't bring himself to click on the link provided by the NCAA's March Madness channel on YouTube. Yeah, we're about to go back-to-back and go undefeated,'" Hill, Duke's starting two guard, says today. Find out more. Will Saxon. DeShawn Henry. By the time he graduated in 1995, he had . Equally impressive was Augmons ability to finish in transition. 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. Odds & lines subject to change. Not an undefeated squad to be found. Place in Vancouver, Canada on December 1, 1990. Twenty-five years later the question is still asked: How did Duke pull it off? The Runnin' Rebels have one Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1991. ESPN and CBS analyst Jay Bilas was a Duke assistant coach for both the 1990 national title game, UNLV's 103-73 rout, and the following year's 79-77 Final Four upset that stopped the Rebels two . The Hogs even held the halftime lead. Tark played everyone. IT WAS TOUTED as the game of the year in college basketball, and it would tip at 11:20 in the morning local time on a Sunday in February. "I still look at those games like, Wow' when I see the level we were playing. Heres an important piece of the UNLV puzzle. Contact/Follow @SportsNewMexico & @MWCwire. UNLV's semi-final loss in the NCAA tournament brought an end to their astounding 45-game win streak. Mountain West Basketball, UNLV Basketball, Mountain West Basketball, NCAAB, UNLV, Mountain West Basketball: Utah State vs. UNLV--Preview, Odds, Prediction, Mountain West Basketball: New Mexico vs. Boise State--Preview, Odds, Prediction, Mountain West Basketball: Chase for the Regular Season Championship, See college football stories in your feed. . What happened: You can count on hand how many times an NCAA final has seen such dominance created by defense. I dont think they knew what to do theyd never been in that situation before. How could he not take up for what he had built? 4,032 fans showed up to see the Rebels cruise to a 104-83 win. Simply put, most opponents were already beat before the game even started. To make things interesting Coach Jerry Tarkanian always scheduled a tough out of conference schedule that, in 1991, included Arkansas (2), Michigan State (4), and Louisville (23), all top 25 opponents at the time. And Rancho High product Anthony, the point guard, was the glue that held it all together. The guy had the power of a post player with the shooting touch of a perimeter man. H Waldman: Smart player with solid 3-point shot and quality passing. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Say what you want about level of competition, but while the Big West wasnt the Pac-10 or ACC, think of Memphis in conference USA. Tarkanian's program was indeed under scrutiny, and speculation had already begun on where his star players would go if UNLV were placed on probation by the NCAA. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Because as a person he was highly intelligent, republican, business minded and was extremely well spoken in interviews. Senior Director of Basketball Administration & Alumni Relations, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Men's Basketball and Volleyball, Allegiant Stadium - UNLV Football Fan Guide, TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Partner, Hide/Show Additional Information For Victor Iwuakor, Hide/Show Additional Information For Michael Nuga, Hide/Show Additional Information For Justin Webster, Hide/Show Additional Information For Donovan Williams, Hide/Show Additional Information For Jordan McCabe, Hide/Show Additional Information For Keshon Gilbert, Hide/Show Additional Information For David Muoka, Hide/Show Additional Information For Bryce Hamilton. Christian Laettner of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Thus concluded UNLVs perfect regular season. So the back-on title defense began. Director of Basketball Operations. Check out the detailed 1990-91 Virginia Tech Hokies Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. 1983 Houston and 85 Georgetown were defeated by complete underdogs that many didnt even peg as final fours participants. No need. Wooden teams were dominant with NBA greats Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Although UNLV is becoming one now. We didnt know it would also mark the beginning of the end of the programs reign as a national power. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. This was the first NCAA Tournament to feature all four of the, The Final Four was also the first to include both halves of the. Only Michigans Fab Five in recent memory has captivated the nation like the Rebels did. Instead, the Rebels played without their point guard and managed just three points over their final four possessions. 1991-92. (Editor's note: ESPN reached out to multiple starters from that team as well as to one member of the coaching staff. It snapped UNLVs 45-game win streak dating to the previous season, including its championship game whipping of these Blue Devils. "I sure wish they'd given us a multiple-choice penalty," third-year Kansas coach Roy Williams said of the NCAA. They put on a show, soaring down the court in transition, and harassing opponents on defense. UNLV chose the second alternative, and other programs that were or recently had been placed on probation by the NCAA were outraged. Beating UNLV team legitimizes us as a serious program.. On November 29, 1990, Jerry Tarkanianwho was already in Canada for the teams opening gamereceived a phone call from UNLV President Robert Maxon. 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. View Full Bio, Marty Stanford Cardinal (13-17, 7-12 Pac-12) at Oregon Ducks (17 . "We knew we had a target on our back in every game and had to play our best.". The opponent: Alabama-Birmingham. After all, in the big scheme of things they didnt win. For a guarantee of $75,000, UNLV played its season opener at B.C. But still, UNLVs last game of a perfect season was played in a gym. Why? During the UNLV golden age they won an impressive 45 games straight when you include their final 11 games of the 1990 championship season. 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. By Ryan Swanson | The tournament was notable for its upsets. We lost to the best team in the country. Then UNLV smashed Duke in the NCAA Championship game. Two nights later, Duke concluded its NCAA run by beating Kansas 72-65 to claim the title. Despite its image as a team that relied mainly on Johnson in the paint, UNLV was significantly more perimeter-oriented than Division I as a whole in 1990-91. You call a jump shooting team getting to the free throw line 23 times to a post oriented teams 15 times better? Johnson rang up 35 points and was termed "a man among boys" by MSU head coach Jud Heathcote. And Tarkanian had to promise to pursue no further legal action against the NCAA. He had made his famous The NCAA was so mad at Kentucky they gave Cleveland State two more years of probation quip. Larry Johnson: There may be no greater injustice in college basketball history than Larry Johnson. Can we imagine a recent Duke or Kansas or Kentucky team finishing off a regular season in such a humble circumstances? But he picked up his dribble and passed to Hunt, who was about 30 feet from the basket. When talk began to hit the Wizard of Westwood ears, the typically humble and reserved Wooden quickly spoke that his UCLA teams were better than UNLV, but also quickly recanted in a separate interview proclaiming that 1991 UNLV is up there and no college basketball team is the best ever. Four of Fresno State's 10 wins have come in true road games (three in conference play). Hamilton. Quick Links. Iwuakor, Michael McCaffrey, Bobby 2 under their Hall of Fame coach. Krzyzewski. 1991 McDonalds All-American Rosters. UAB did the best it could. Coleman, Cameron And Hurley controlled the tempo, knowing when to attack in transition and when to be patient. ", Bobby Hurley adds, "Coach K did a tremendous job instilling confidence in us in the week leading up to the rematch with UNLV.". Games in the Washington area have since been played at either Baltimore, Landover or in Washington itself at Capital One Arena. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. With Anthony on the bench, UNLV managed just three points the rest of the way. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited.
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