Remembering a pair of remarkable UNLV-Duke matchups
Remembering two remarkable years
1990
National Championship game
Denver, Colorado
Final: UNLV 103, Duke 73.
What happened: You can count on hand how many times an NCAA final has seen such dominance created by defense.
Have you ever been caught in a rip current, breaking swells pounding around you as you’re jerked away from the shore?
Have you ever felt as if you’re in a washing machine on a super speed setting?
Now you know what Duke experienced for 40 minutes.
The Rebels swallowed up the Blue Devils, overwhelming them from the start and cruising to the biggest rout in a national final.
UNLV shredded Duke with an 18-0 second-half run to leave no doubt as to which was the country’s finest team.
It was also the first time a team reached 100 points in the championship game.
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.
Unsung hero: David Butler of UNLV, one of the toughest and best defenders in school history. He gave Duke sophomore Christian Laettner (5-of-12 shooting) fits in the final.
Post-title thoughts …
UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian: “This win is for the kids, but mostly it’s for the state of Nevada. I’m so happy for all of them. I love the city of Las Vegas. I never felt I could win this. I wasn’t a great college player, didn’t go to a great university and never coached at a big-time program. Although UNLV is becoming one now. I just feel so happy and fortunate that we got here and were able to win it.”
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: “We were overmatched. UNLV never let down. Just never let down. They played championship-caliber ball. They’re just better than we are. They’re more athletic than we are. There was no way we were going to beat them. We lost to the best team in the country. We could have played them 20 times and not beaten them in any.”
1991
National semifinal
Indianapolis, Indiana
Final: Duke 79-77.
What happened: As upsets go, this is considered one of NCAA lore.
But should it be?
It snapped UNLV’s 45-game win streak dating to the previous season, including its championship game whipping of these Blue Devils.
But what most didn’t realize was that, as superb a returning starting five as UNLV had that evening in ‘91, Duke put on the floor three players (Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley) who would also be considered among the best in college history.
Three lottery picks and a Hall of Fame coach.
Laettner was especially good, finishing with 28 points and seven rebounds while holding UNLV star Larry Johnson to 13 points on 10 shots.
The game turned when UNLV point guard Greg Anthony fouled out with 3:51 remaining.
Laettner would make two free throws the 12.7 seconds remaining — via a controversial over-the-back call against Evric Gray — and UNLV’s dynasty would end when Anderson Hunt’s off-balance 3-point attempt over Hurley wasn’t close.
Two nights later, Duke concluded its NCAA run by beating Kansas 72-65 to claim the title.
Unsung hero: Brian Davis, a reserve wing for Duke, scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes. He also converted a key three-point play with 1:02 remaining.
Post-title thoughts …
UNLV point guard Greg Anthony: “The only thing that surprised me was that we didn’t play as hard as we normally do. We don’t always play well, but we’ve always played hard and that didn’t happen tonight.”
Duke freshman Grant Hill: “I don’t think they were used to slowing the ball down and having to look for one shot at the end,” he said of a UNLV team which had won by an average of more than 27 points in its 30 games prior to the NCAA tournament. “I don’t think they knew what to do — they’d never been in that situation before. Beating UNLV team legitimizes us as a serious program.”
