1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's college basketball. It began on March 15, 1990, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Denver, Colorado. A total of 63 games were played.

1990 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1989–90
Teams64
Finals siteMcNichols Sports Arena
Denver, Colorado
ChampionsUNLV Runnin' Rebels (1st title, 1st title game,
3rd Final Four)
Runner-upDuke Blue Devils (4th title game,
8th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJerry Tarkanian (1st title)
MOPAnderson Hunt (UNLV)
Attendance537,138
Top scorerDennis Scott (Georgia Tech)
(153 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1989 1991»

UNLV, coached by Jerry Tarkanian, won the national title with a 103–73 victory in the final game over Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski. In doing so, UNLV set the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament record for largest margin of victory in a championship game. UNLV's win marks the last time a school from a non-power conference has won the championship game. Anderson Hunt of UNLV was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

This tournament is also remembered for an emotional run by Loyola Marymount in the West regional. In the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament against the Portland Pilots, Lions star forward Hank Gathers collapsed and died due to a heart condition. The WCC tournament was immediately suspended, with the regular-season champion Lions given the conference's automatic bid. The team defeated New Mexico State, then laid a 34-point thrashing on defending national champion Michigan, and defeated Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen (the only game in which Loyola Marymount did not score 100 or more points in the tournament) before running into eventual champion UNLV in the regional final. Gathers' childhood friend Bo Kimble, the team's undisputed floor leader in the wake of the tragedy, paid tribute to his friend by attempting his first free throw in each game left-handed despite being right-handed. (Gathers was right-handed, but struggled so much with free throws that he tried shooting them left-handed for a time.) Kimble made all of his left-handed attempts in the tournament.

The tournament employed a new timing system borrowed from FIBA & the NBA: when the game was played in an NBA arena, the final minute of the period is measured in tenths-seconds, rather than whole seconds as in previous years.

Schedule and venues

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Atlanta
Indianapolis
Austin
 
Hartford
Richmond
Knoxville
Long Beach
Salt Lake City
1990 first and second rounds
 
Oakland
Dallas
New Orleans
E. Rutherford
Denver
1990 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1990 tournament, and their host(s):

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

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Region Seed Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score
East
East 1 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Big East Elite 8 3 Duke L 79–78
East 2 Kansas Roy Williams Big Eight Round of 32 7 UCLA L 71–70
East 3 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Atlantic Coast National Runner Up 1 UNLV L 103–73
East 4 La Salle Speedy Morris Metro Atlantic Round of 32 5 Clemson L 79–75
East 5 Clemson Cliff Ellis Atlantic Coast Sweet Sixteen 1 Connecticut L 71–70
East 6 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Big East Round of 32 3 Duke L 76–72
East 7 UCLA Jim Harrick Pacific-10 Sweet Sixteen 3 Duke L 90–81
East 8 Indiana Bob Knight Big Ten Round of 64 9 California L 65–63
East 9 California Lou Campanelli Pacific-10 Round of 32 1 Connecticut L 74–54
East 10 UAB Gene Bartow Sun Belt Round of 64 7 UCLA L 68–56
East 11 Temple John Chaney Atlantic 10 Round of 64 6 St. John's L 81–65
East 12 BYU Roger Reid Western Athletic Round of 64 5 Clemson L 49–47
East 13 Southern Miss M.K. Turk Metro Round of 64 4 La Salle L 79–63
East 14 Richmond Dick Tarrant Colonial Round of 64 3 Duke L 81–46
East 15 Robert Morris Jarrett Durham Northeast Round of 64 2 Kansas L 79–71
East 16 Boston University Mike Jarvis North Atlantic Round of 64 1 Connecticut L 76–52
Midwest
Midwest 1 Oklahoma Billy Tubbs Big Eight Round of 32 8 North Carolina L 79–77
Midwest 2 Purdue Gene Keady Big Ten Round of 32 10 Texas L 73–72
Midwest 3 Georgetown John Thompson Big East Round of 32 6 Xavier L 74–71
Midwest 4 Arkansas Nolan Richardson Southwest National semifinals 3 Duke L 97–83
Midwest 5 Illinois Lou Henson Big Ten Round of 64 12 Dayton L 88–86
Midwest 6 Xavier Pete Gillen Midwestern Sweet Sixteen 10 Texas L 102–89
Midwest 7 Georgia Hugh Durham Southeastern Round of 64 10 Texas L 100–88
Midwest 8 North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic Coast Sweet Sixteen 4 Arkansas L 96–73
Midwest 9 Southwest Missouri State Charlie Spoonhour Mid-Continent Round of 64 8 North Carolina L 83–70
Midwest 10 Texas Tom Penders Southwest Elite 8 4 Arkansas L 88–85
Midwest 11 Kansas State Lon Kruger Big Eight Round of 64 6 Xavier L 87–79
Midwest 12 Dayton Jim O'Brien Midwestern Round of 32 4 Arkansas L 86–84
Midwest 13 Princeton Pete Carril Ivy League Round of 64 4 Arkansas L 68–64
Midwest 14 Texas Southern Robert Moreland Southwest Athletic Round of 64 3 Georgetown L 70–52
Midwest 15 Northeast Louisiana Mike Vining Southland Round of 64 2 Purdue L 75–63
Midwest 16 Towson State Terry Truax East Coast Round of 64 1 Oklahoma L 77–68
Southeast
Southeast 1 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Big Ten Sweet Sixteen 4 Georgia Tech L 81–80
Southeast 2 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big East Sweet Sixteen 6 Minnesota L 82–75
Southeast 3 Missouri Norm Stewart Big Eight Round of 64 14 Northern Iowa L 74–71
Southeast 4 Georgia Tech Bobby Cremins Atlantic Coast National semifinals 1 UNLV L 90–81
Southeast 5 LSU Dale Brown Southeastern Round of 32 4 Georgia Tech L 94–91
Southeast 6 Minnesota Clem Haskins Big Ten Elite 8 4 Georgia Tech L 93–91
Southeast 7 Virginia Terry Holland Atlantic Coast Round of 32 2 Syracuse L 63–61
Southeast 8 Houston Pat Foster Southwest Round of 64 9 UC Santa Barbara L 70–66
Southeast 9 UC Santa Barbara Jerry Pimm Big West Round of 32 1 Michigan State L 62–58
Southeast 10 Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Round of 64 7 Virginia L 75–67
Southeast 11 UTEP Don Haskins Western Athletic Round of 64 6 Minnesota L 64–61
Southeast 12 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big East Round of 64 5 LSU L 70–63
Southeast 13 East Tennessee State Les Robinson Southern Round of 64 4 Georgia Tech L 99–83
Southeast 14 Northern Iowa Eldon Miller Mid-Continent Round of 32 6 Minnesota L 81–78
Southeast 15 Coppin State Ron Mitchell Mid-Eastern Round of 64 2 Syracuse L 70–48
Southeast 16 Murray State Steve Newton Ohio Valley Round of 64 1 Michigan State L 75–71
West
West 1 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Big West Champion 3 Duke W 103–73
West 2 Arizona Lute Olson Pacific-10 Round of 32 7 Alabama L 77–55
West 3 Michigan Steve Fisher Big Ten Round of 32 11 Loyola Marymount L 149–115
West 4 Louisville Denny Crum Metro Round of 32 12 Ball State L 62–60
West 5 Oregon State Jim Anderson Pacific-10 Round of 64 12 Ball State L 54–53
West 6 New Mexico State Neil McCarthy Big West Round of 64 11 Loyola Marymount L 111–92
West 7 Alabama Wimp Sanderson Southeastern Sweet Sixteen 11 Loyola Marymount L 62–60
West 8 Ohio State Randy Ayers Big Ten Round of 32 1 UNLV L 76–65
West 9 Providence Rick Barnes Big East Round of 64 8 Ohio State L 84–83
West 10 Colorado State Boyd Grant Western Athletic Round of 64 7 Alabama L 71–54
West 11 Loyola Marymount Paul Westhead West Coast Elite 8 1 UNLV L 131–101
West 12 Ball State Dick Hunsaker Mid-American Sweet Sixteen 1 UNLV L 69–67
West 13 Idaho Kermit Davis Big Sky Round of 64 4 Louisville L 78–59
West 14 Illinois State Bob Bender Missouri Valley Round of 64 3 Michigan L 76–70
West 15 South Florida Bobby Paschal Sun Belt Round of 64 2 Arizona L 79–67
West 16 Little Rock Mike Newell Trans America Round of 64 1 UNLV L 102–72

Bracket

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East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

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First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Connecticut 76
16 Boston University 52
1 Connecticut 74
Hartford
9 California 54
8 Indiana 63
9 California 65
1 Connecticut 71
5 Clemson 70
5 Clemson 49
12 BYU 47
5 Clemson 79
Hartford
4 La Salle 75
4 La Salle 79
13 Southern Miss 63
1 Connecticut 78
3 Duke 79*
6 St. John's 81
11 Temple 65
6 St. John's 72
Atlanta
3 Duke 76
3 Duke 81
14 Richmond 46
3 Duke 90
7 UCLA 81
7 UCLA 68
10 UAB 56
7 UCLA 71
Atlanta
2 Kansas 70
2 Kansas 79
15 Robert Morris 71

* – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Saturday, March 24
#3 Duke Blue Devils 79, #1 Connecticut Huskies 78 (OT)
Pts: A. Abdelnaby 27
Rebs: A. Abdelnaby 14
Asts: B. Hurley 8
Pts: J. Gwynn, N. Henefeld 15
Rebs: N. Henefeld 6
Asts: C. Smith 5
Halftime Score: Duke, 37–30
End of Regulation: 72–72
Brendan Byrne Arena – East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 19,546

Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

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First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Oklahoma 77
16 Towson State 68
1 Oklahoma 77
Austin
8 North Carolina 79
8 North Carolina 83
9 SW Missouri State 70
8 North Carolina 73
4 Arkansas 96
5 Illinois 86
12 Dayton 88
12 Dayton 84
Austin
4 Arkansas 86
4 Arkansas 68
13 Princeton 64
4 Arkansas 88
10 Texas 85
6 Xavier 87
11 Kansas State 79
6 Xavier 74
Indianapolis
3 Georgetown 71
3 Georgetown 70
14 Texas Southern 52
6 Xavier 89
10 Texas 102
7 Georgia 88
10 Texas 100
10 Texas 73
Indianapolis
2 Purdue 72
2 Purdue 75
15 Northeast Louisiana 63

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Saturday, March 24
#4 Arkansas Razorbacks 88, #10 Texas Longhorns 85
Pts: L. Howell 21
Rebs: L. Howell, O. Miller 9
Asts: L. Mayberry 7
Pts: J. Wright, T. Mays 20
Rebs: L. Collie 14
Asts: T. Mays 5
Halftime Score: Arkansas, 43–36
Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 16,413

Southeast Regional – New Orleans, Louisiana

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First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Michigan State 75*
16 Murray State 71
1 Michigan State 62
Knoxville
9 UC Santa Barbara 58
8 Houston 66
9 UC Santa Barbara 70
1 Michigan State 80
4 Georgia Tech 81*
5 LSU 70
12 Villanova 63
5 LSU 91
Knoxville
4 Georgia Tech 94
4 Georgia Tech 99
13 East Tennessee State 83
4 Georgia Tech 93
6 Minnesota 91
6 Minnesota 64*
11 UTEP 61
6 Minnesota 81
Richmond
14 Northern Iowa 78
3 Missouri 71
14 Northern Iowa 74
6 Minnesota 82
2 Syracuse 75
7 Virginia 75
10 Notre Dame 67
7 Virginia 61
Richmond
2 Syracuse 63
2 Syracuse 70
15 Coppin State 48

* – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 25
#4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 93, #6 Minnesota Golden Gophers 91
Pts: D. Scott 40
Rebs: K. Anderson 8
Asts: K. Anderson 3
Pts: W. Burton 35
Rebs: R. Coffey 9
Asts: M. Newbern 6
Halftime Score: Minnesota, 49–47
Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans
Attendance: 17,782

West Regional – Oakland, California

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First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 UNLV 102
16 Arkansas–Little Rock 72
1 UNLV 76
Salt Lake City
8 Ohio State 65
8 Ohio State 84*
9 Providence 83
1 UNLV 69
12 Ball State 67
5 Oregon State 53
12 Ball State 54
12 Ball State 62
Salt Lake City
4 Louisville 60
4 Louisville 78
13 Idaho 59
1 UNLV 131
11 Loyola Marymount 101
6 New Mexico State 92
11 Loyola Marymount 111
11 Loyola Marymount 149
Long Beach
3 Michigan 115
3 Michigan 76
14 Illinois State 70
11 Loyola Marymount 62
7 Alabama 60
7 Alabama 71
10 Colorado State 54
7 Alabama 77
Long Beach
2 Arizona 55
2 Arizona 79
15 South Florida 67

* – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 25
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 131, #11 Loyola Marymount Lions 101
Pts: S. Augmon 33
Rebs: L. Johnson 18
Asts: A. Hunt 13
Pts: B. Kimble 42
Rebs: B. Kimble 11
Asts: T. Lowery 6
Halftime Score: UNLV, 67–47
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena – Oakland, California
Attendance: 14,298

Final Four – Denver, Colorado

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National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E3 Duke 97
MW4 Arkansas 83
E3 Duke 73
W1 UNLV 103
SE4 Georgia Tech 81
W1 UNLV 90

Game summaries

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CBS
March 31
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 90, #4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 81
Pts: S. Augmon 22
Rebs: M. Scurry 11
Asts: A. Hunt 7
Pts: D. Scott 29
Rebs: J. McNeil 9
Asts: K. Anderson 8
Halftime Score: Georgia Tech 53–46
McNichols Arena – Denver
Attendance: 17,675
Referees: Jim Bain, Dick Paparo, Jim Stupin
CBS
March 31
#3 Duke Blue Devils 97, #4 Arkansas Razorbacks 83
Pts: P. Henderson 28
Rebs: C. Laettner 14
Asts: B. Hurley 6
Pts: T. Day 27
Rebs: T. Day 7
Asts: L. Mayberry 6
Halftime Score: Duke, 46–43
McNichols Arena – Denver
Attendance: 17,675
Referees: Gerry Donaghy, Jim Burr, Frank Bosone

National Championship

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CBS
April 2
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 103, #3 Duke Blue Devils 73
Pts: A. Hunt 29
Rebs: L. Johnson 11
Asts: S. Augmon 7
Pts: P. Henderson 21
Rebs: C. Laettner 9
Asts: C. Laettner 5
Halftime Score: UNLV, 47–35
McNichols Arena – Denver
Attendance: 17,675
Referees: Ed Hightower, Richie Ballesteros and Tim Higgins

Announcers

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CBS and NCAA Productions broadcast all tournament games. CBS

  • Jim Nantz and James Brown served as hosts for the first-round games, while Mike Francesca served as analyst for the remaining rounds of the tournament.
  • Brent Musburger and Billy Packer – First round (Ohio State–Providence) at Salt Lake City, Utah; Second Round at Austin, Texas and Richmond, Virginia; West Regional at Oakland, California; Final Four at Denver, Colorado. Musburger's final games for CBS.
  • Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown – Second Round at Atlanta, Georgia; East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • James Brown and Bill Raftery – Second Round at Hartford, Connecticut and Indianapolis, Indiana; Midwest Regional at Dallas, Texas
  • Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner – First round (New Mexico State–Loyola-Marymount) and Second Round at Long Beach, California; Southeast Regional at New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Brad Nessler and Tom Heinsohn – Second Round at Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Tim Brant and Len Elmore – Second Round at Salt Lake City, Utah

ESPN/NCAA Productions

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This would be the last year that ESPN would be involved in broadcasting games of the tournament, as CBS took over exclusive coverage of the tournament the following year.

  • Bob Carpenter and Clark Kellogg – First round (Indiana–California, Clemson–Brigham Young) at Hartford, Connecticut
  • Mike Gorman and Ron Perry – First round (La Salle–Southern Mississippi) at Hartford, Connecticut
  • Fred White and Larry Conley – First round (St. John's–Temple, Kansas–Robert Morris) at Atlanta, Georgia
  • Ralph Hacker and Dan Belluomini – First round (UCLA–UAB) at Atlanta, Georgia
  • Ron Franklin and Bob Ortegel – First round (North Carolina–SW Missouri State, Arkansas–Princeton) at Austin, Texas
  • Frank Fallon and Jack Corrigan - First Round (Dayton-Illinois) at Austin Texas
  • Tom Hammond and Gary Thompson – First round (Georgetown–Texas Southern, Georgia–Texas) at Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Mick Hubert and Jim Gibbons – First round (Xavier–Kansas State) at Indianapolis, Indiana; First round (Arizona–South Florida) at Long Beach, California
  • Mike Patrick and Dan Bonner – First round (Missouri–Northern Iowa, Syracuse–Coppin State) at Richmond, Virginia
  • Bob Rathbun and Bucky Waters – First round (Minnesota–UTEP) at Richmond, Virginia
  • Bob Rathbun and Mimi Griffin – First round (Virginia–Notre Dame) at Richmond, Virginia
  • John Sanders and Bruce Larson – First round (UNLV–Arkansas-Little Rock, Oregon State–Ball State) at Salt Lake City, Utah
  • John Rooney and Bob Weltlich - First Round (Michigan St-Murray State, LSU-Villanova) at Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Brad Nessler and Jack Givens - First Round (USCB-Houston, Georgia Tech-East Tennessee State) at Knoxville, Tennessee
  • John Sanders and Len Elmore – First round (Louisville–Idaho) at Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Barry Tompkins and Mike Rice – First round (Alabama–Colorado State, Michigan–Illinois State) at Long Beach, California

Tournament notes

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  • Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer made 11 three-point field goals against Michigan to set the NCAA tournament record which still stands as of 2023. He took 15 three-point attempts.
  • Loyola Marymount's 149–115 win over Michigan set a new tournament record for most combined points (264).
  • UNLV at the time had the largest accumulated victory margin (112 points), over the entire tournament by a championship team that played 6 games. To date it is the fifth-largest.[1]
  • UNLV's 103–73 win over Duke marked the first, (and to date, only), time in the history of the tournament that at least 100 points were scored in the championship game.[2]
  • UNLV's 571 points over six games set the record for most points scored by a single team in any one year of the tournament.[3]
  • UNLV is the only team in tournament history to average more than 95 points per game, over six games. In six tournament games, they won three by exactly 30 points, while scoring more than 100 points in each 30-point victory.[4]
  • UNLV and UCLA in 1965 are the only teams in tournament history to win three games all while scoring at least 100 points in each win. (Loyola Marymount also scored at least 100 points in three games in the 1990 tournament, but lost their last game, where they scored 101 points, to UNLV, by 30 points. UNLV also scored at least 100 points in three victories in the 1977 tournament, but their last one was in the Final Four consolation game.)[3]
  • UNLV's 30-point margin of victory in the championship game is also a tournament record.[5] ESPN called it the 36th “worst blowout in sports history.”[6]
  • To date, UNLV remains the last team from a non-power conference (AAC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) to win the national championship, since Louisville in 1986.[2] (Louisville was in The Metro Conference in 1986, which was considered a major basketball conference throughout its history, 1975 - 1995.)
  • The championship game was UNLV's eleventh-consecutive win. They would eventually run the win streak to an astounding 45 games. That is the fourth-longest win streak in NCAA Division 1 basketball history, and the longest win streak since the longest one ever, by UCLA, ended in 1974.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament". 6 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via Wikipedia.
  2. ^ a b "Which is the only basketball team to have scored over 100 points in a NCAA championship game?". 6 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b "The Tournament" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  4. ^ "The highest-scoring men's basketball games in NCAA March Madness history | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
  5. ^ "March Madness History".
  6. ^ "100 worst blowouts in history: Nos. 50-26". ESPN.com. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  7. ^ "The longest winning streaks in college basketball history | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.