1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Season | 1990–91 | ||||
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Teams | 64 | ||||
Finals site | Hoosier Dome Indianapolis,Indiana | ||||
Champions | Duke Blue Devils(1st title, 5th title game, 9th Final Four) | ||||
Runner-up | Kansas Jayhawks(6th title game, 9th Final Four) | ||||
Semifinalists |
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Winning coach | Mike Krzyzewski(1st title) | ||||
MOP | Christian Laettner(Duke) | ||||
Attendance | 665,707 | ||||
Top scorer | Christian Laettner (Duke) (125 points) | ||||
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The1991NCAA Division I men's basketball tournamentinvolved 64 schools playing insingle-eliminationplay to determine the national champion of men'sNCAA Division Icollege basketball.It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with thechampionship gameon April 1 inIndianapolis, Indiana.A total of 63 games were played.
Duke,coached byMike Krzyzewski,won a rematch of the previous year's national final matchup against undefeated UNLV 79–77 in the semifinal,[1]then won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final game overKansas,coached byRoy Williams.[2]This was the first national championship game for Williams as a head coach. Kansas defeated Williams' mentorDean Smithand North Carolina (where Williams later coached) in the semifinal. Kansas made its second trip to the national championship game in four seasons, the prior appearance being 1988 when they defeatedOklahoma.Christian Laettnerof Duke was named the tournament'sMost Outstanding Player.
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. In addition, for the first time ever, at least one team seeded #9 through #15 won a first-round game. This feat would be followed in2013,2016,and2021.
This tournament adopted theNBA's 10ths-second timer during the final minute of each period in all arenas.
Schedule and venues
[edit]The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1991 tournament:
First and Second Rounds
- March 14 and 16
- East Region
- Midwest Region
- Southeast Region
- West Region
- March 15 and 17
- East Region
- Midwest Region
- Southeast Region
- West Region
Regional semifinals and finals(Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
- March 21 and 23
- Southeast Regional,Charlotte Coliseum,Charlotte, North Carolina(Host:University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
- West Regional,Kingdome,Seattle, Washington(Host:University of Washington)
- March 22 and 24
- East Regional,Brendan Byrne Arena,East Rutherford, New Jersey(Hosts:Seton Hall University,Big East Conference)
- Midwest Regional,Pontiac Silverdome,Pontiac, Michigan(Host:University of Detroit Mercy)
National semifinals and championship(Final Four and championship)
- March 30 and April 1
Teams
[edit]There were 26 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 23 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while three were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Big Ten,Ivy LeagueandPac-10). Another 35 bids were awarded by the NCAA tournament committee at-large to the best teams in the nation not already qualified.
TheBig Eightwas eligible for an automatic bid to the tournament, but their conference tournament was won byMissouri,who were on probation and ineligible for the NCAA tournament.[3]No automatic bid was awarded to the Big Eight.
Play-in Games
[edit]The remaining three bids were decided by play-in games between the six lowest-rated conferences in the nation. These matchups, which were decided prior to the season, paired the tournament champions of the six lowest-rated conferences in the nation in games played at campus sites:[4]
- The winner of theNEC tournament,Saint Francis (PA),hosted the winner of thePatriot League tournament,Fordham.[5]
- The winner of theSouthland tournament,Northeast Louisiana,hosted the winner of theMEAC tournament,Florida A&M.[6]
- The winner of theSWAC tournament,Jackson State,hosted the winner of theBig South tournament,Coastal Carolina.[7]
Unlike the laterOpening Round and First Four games,the play-in games were not considered part of the NCAA tournament. This meant that the winners of these games were not credited with an NCAA tournament win, and only the teams that advanced to the field of 64 were credited with an NCAA tournament appearance.
All three games were played on March 6, 1991.
NEC-Patriot Play-in Loretto, Pennsylvania | |||
Fordham | 64 | ||
Saint Francis (PA) | 70 |
Southland-MEAC Play-in Monroe, Louisiana | |||
Florida A&M | 63 | ||
Northeast Louisiana | 87 |
SWAC-Big South Play-in Jackson, Mississippi | |||
Coastal Carolina | 78 | ||
Jackson State | 59 |
Automatic qualifiers
[edit]Five conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances:Coastal Carolina(Big South),Georgia State(TAAC),Green Bay(Mid-Continent),Saint Francis (PA)(NEC), andSaint Peter's(MAAC).
Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid |
---|---|---|---|
ACC | North Carolina | 25th | 1990 |
American South | Louisiana Tech | 5th | 1989 |
Atlantic 10 | Penn State | 6th | 1965 |
Big East | Seton Hall | 3rd | 1989 |
Big Sky | Montana | 2nd | 1975 |
Big Ten | Ohio State | 17th | 1990 |
Big West | UNLV | 12th | 1990 |
CAA | Richmond | 5th | 1990 |
East Coast | Towson State | 2nd | 1990 |
Ivy League | Princeton | 17th | 1990 |
MAAC | Saint Peter's | 1st | Never |
MAC | Eastern Michigan | 2nd | 1988 |
MCC | Xavier | 8th | 1990 |
Metro | Florida State | 7th | 1989 |
Mid-Continent | Green Bay | 1st | Never |
Missouri Valley | Creighton | 9th | 1989 |
NAC | Northeastern | 7th | 1987 |
Ohio Valley | Murray State | 5th | 1990 |
Pac-10 | Arizona | 10th | 1990 |
SEC | Alabama | 10th | 1990 |
Southern | East Tennessee State | 4th | 1990 |
Sun Belt | South Alabama | 4th | 1989 |
SWC | Arkansas | 17th | 1990 |
TAAC | Georgia State | 1st | Never |
WAC | BYU | 15th | 1990 |
West Coast | Pepperdine | 9th | 1986 |
Big South–SWACPlay-in | Coastal Carolina | 1st | Never |
MEAC–SouthlandPlay-in | Northeast Louisiana | 4th | 1990 |
Patriot–NECPlay-in | Saint Francis (PA) | 1st | Never |
Tournament seeds
[edit]
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Bracket
[edit]East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey
[edit]First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | North Carolina | 101 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Northeastern | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | North Carolina | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
Syracuse | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | Villanova | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Princeton | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Villanova | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | North Carolina | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Eastern Michigan | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Mississippi State | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Eastern Michigan | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Eastern Michigan | 71OT | |||||||||||||||||
Syracuse | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | Penn State | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | UCLA | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Penn State | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | North Carolina | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Temple | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | NC State | 114 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Southern Miss | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | NC State | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
College Park | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Oklahoma State | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Oklahoma State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | New Mexico | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Oklahoma State | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Temple | 72OT | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Purdue | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Temple | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Temple | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
College Park | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | Richmond | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Syracuse | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Richmond | 73 |
Southeast Regional – Charlotte, North Carolina
[edit]First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Arkansas | 117 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Georgia State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Arkansas | 97 | |||||||||||||||||
Atlanta | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | Arizona State | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Arizona State | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Rutgers | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Arkansas | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Alabama | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Wake Forest | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Louisiana Tech | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Wake Forest | 88 | |||||||||||||||||
Atlanta | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Alabama | 96 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Alabama | 89 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Murray State | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Arkansas | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Pittsburgh | 76OT | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Georgia | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Pittsburgh | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
Louisville | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | New Orleans | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Indiana | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Florida State | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | USC | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Florida State | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
Louisville | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Indiana | 82 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Indiana | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Coastal Carolina | 69 |
Midwest Regional – Pontiac, Michigan
[edit]First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Ohio State | 97 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Towson State | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Ohio State | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
Dayton | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | Georgia Tech | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Georgia Tech | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | DePaul | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Ohio State | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | St. John's | 91 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Texas | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Saint Peter's | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Texas | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
Dayton | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | St. John's | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | St. John's | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Northern Illinois | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | St. John's | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Duke | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | LSU | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Connecticut | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Connecticut | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
Minneapolis | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | Xavier | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Nebraska | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Xavier | 89 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Connecticut | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Duke | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Iowa | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | East Tennessee State | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Iowa | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
Minneapolis | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Duke | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Duke | 102 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Northeast Louisiana | 73 |
West Regional – Seattle, Washington
[edit]First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | UNLV | 99 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Montana | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | UNLV | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
Tucson | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | Georgetown | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Georgetown | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Vanderbilt | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | UNLV | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Utah | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Michigan State | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Wisconsin–Green Bay | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Michigan State | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
Tucson | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Utah | 852OT | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Utah | 82 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | South Alabama | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | UNLV | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Seton Hall | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | New Mexico State | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Creighton | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Creighton | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
Salt Lake City | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Seton Hall | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Seton Hall | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Pepperdine | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Seton Hall | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Arizona | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Virginia | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | BYU | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | BYU | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
Salt Lake City | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Arizona | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Arizona | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Saint Francis (PA) | 80 |
Final Four – Indianapolis, Indiana
[edit]National semifinals | National championship game | ||||||||
E1 | North Carolina | 73 | |||||||
SE3 | Kansas | 79 | |||||||
SE3 | Kansas | 65 | |||||||
MW2 | Duke | 72 | |||||||
MW2 | Duke | 79 | |||||||
W1 | UNLV | 77 |
Broadcast information
[edit]For the first time,CBS Sportsshowed all 63 tournament games. 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. Usual start times were noon and 7:30 or 8 p.m.Eastern timeon each of the Thursdays and Fridays. During the weekend of the second round, the national telecast began at noon, with the regional windows (three on Saturday, two on Sunday) following. Although the times would be adjusted, the same basic format was in place until2010.As of2011,the regional broadcasts have been replaced by simulcast feeds on non-broadcast networks owned byTurner Sports.
Announcers
[edit]- Jim NantzandBilly Packer– Midwest Regional at Pontiac, Michigan; Final Four at Indianapolis, Indiana
- Dick StocktonandBilly Cunningham– First and Second Rounds at Minneapolis, Minnesota; West Regional at Seattle, Washington
- James BrownandBill Raftery– First and Second Rounds at Dayton, Ohio; East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Greg GumbelandQuinn Buckner– First and Second Rounds at Tucson, Arizona; Southeast Regional at Charlotte, North Carolina
- Verne LundquistandLen Elmore– First and Second Rounds at College Park, Maryland
- Brad NesslerandMimi Griffin– First and Second Rounds at Atlanta, Georgia
- Tim Ryan/Jim HendersonandDan Bonner– First and Second Rounds at Syracuse, New York
- Sean McDonoughandBill Walton– First and Second Rounds at Louisville, Kentucky
- Mel ProctorandJack Givens– First and Second Rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah
Miscellaneous
[edit]- Duke's79–77 winover UNLV in the Final Four became one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Duke was an 8-point underdog in the game. UNLV's juggernaut 1990–91 squad ranked #2 onESPN Classic'sWho's #1?for Best Teams Not To Win a Title. UNLV was undefeated entering the 1991 tournament, which was unmatched until Wichita State in 2014 andKentuckyin 2015. (Saint Joseph's went unbeaten in the 2004 regular season, finishing 27–0, but lost in their conference tournament before the NCAAs.Alcorn Statewent unbeaten in the 1979 regular season, but got invited to theNITsince theSouthwestern Athletic Conferencedid not have an automatic bid to the NCAAs, and lost to eventual winnerIndianain the 2nd round. Indiana is the last team to win the championship undefeated in 1976).
- This was Duke's fourth (of five) consecutive Final Four trip, the first team to achieve such a feat since UCLA. Since freshmen were not eligible at the time of UCLA's run, Duke'sGreg Koubekbecame the first player to play in four Final Fours, a record matched by Duke teammatesChristian Laettnerand Brian Davis thenext yearwhen the team repeated as national champions.
- For the first time in tournament history a 15-seed defeated a 2-seed.Richmonddefeated Syracuse 73–69. Since then this has happened ten additional times: in 1993, Santa Clara defeated Arizona 64–61; in 1997, Coppin State defeated South Carolina 78–65; in 2001,Hamptondefeated Iowa State 58–57; on the same day in 2012 Norfolk State defeated Missouri 86–84 and Lehigh defeated Duke 75–70; in 2013 Florida Gulf Coast defeated Georgetown 78–68;[8]in 2016, Middle Tennessee defeated Michigan State 90–81; in 2021,Oral Robertsdefeated Ohio State 75–72; in 2022,Saint Peter'sdefeated Kentucky 85–79; and in 2023,Princetondefeated Arizona 59–55.
- In the Final Four againstKansas,legendaryNorth CarolinacoachDean Smithwas ejected from the game for leaving the coach's box.[9]
- Forbracketologists,this tournament is notable for several reasons. The first is the upset-heavy opening round, which led to every seed number except 16 being represented by at least one team in the second round. The East region, in particular, featured first round victories by seeds 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15. Two 11's and a 14-seed advanced in the other regions. The second round is equally remarkable because there wereno upsetsin this round whatsoever. The combination of these two anomalies led to an unprecedented occurrence in which a 10 (Temple), an 11 (Connecticut), and a 12-seed (Eastern Michigan) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen without any of the teams pulling off consecutive upsets. The reason for this was that the first round successes of 15-seedRichmond,14-seedXavier,and 13-seedPenn Stateled to Temple, Connecticut, and Eastern Michigan (respectively) being consideredfavoritesfor their second round matchups.
- This was the first NCAA Tournament to feature all four of theNorth Carolina-basedAtlantic Coast Conferenceteams, also known as theTobacco RoadorBig Fourteams:North Carolina,NC State,DukeandWake Forest.
- The Final Four was also the first to include both halves of theNorth Carolina–Duke rivalry.Had both teams won, they would have faced each other for the national championship, but to this day, the teams have only faced each other once each in the NCAA tournament and the NIT – the1971 NITsemifinals at Madison Square Garden, which North Carolina won 73–67 and the2022 Final Fourat the Caesars Superdome, which the8th-seeded Tar Heels won 81–77in the last game ofMike Krzyzewski's coaching career.
- This tournament featured three play-in games before the tournament field was announced, featuring the champions of the six conferences with the lowest computer ratings the previous season.[10]The results were:Saint Francis, Pennsylvania(NEC) defeatedFordham(Patriot) 70–64,[11]Coastal Carolina(Big South) overJackson State(SWAC) 78–59,[12]andNE Louisiana(Southland) overFlorida A&M(MEAC) 87–63.[12]These are not opening round games and the losers are not credited with an NCAA tournament appearance.
- UNLV's semi-final loss in the NCAA tournament brought an end to their astounding 45-game win streak. 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.[13]
- DePaul's appearance is, as of 2023, the last appearance of an independent team in the tournament. The Blue Demons would join theGreat Midwest Conferencein 1991;Notre Dame,the last prominent independent, would join theBig Eastin 1995. Though there have been independent teams since, most have been minor programs, or programs in transition between conference affiliations and divisions. It was also the last tournament to feature an East Coast Conference team; the conference, which was born in 1974 from former Middle Atlantic Conference teams, would cease operations in 1994 after most of the teams joined larger conferences.
See also
[edit]- 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 Invitation Tournament
- 1991 National Women's Invitation Tournament
- 1991 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
- 1991 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament
References
[edit]- ^1991 1991 NCAA Basketball Semifinal GameonYouTube
- ^1991 NCAA basketball national championship gameonYouTube
- ^"Doug Smith rules Big Eight Tournament".UPI Archives.March 10, 1991.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^McCann, Gary (May 17, 1990)."Despite losing automatic bid, MEAC will get money".Greensboro News & Record.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^Moran, Malcolm (March 7, 1991)."BASKETBALL; Fordham's Road to N.C.A.A. Blocked by St. Francis, 70-64".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^"Northeast Louisiana 87, Florida A&M 63".UPI Archives.March 6, 1991.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^"Coastal Carolina 78, Jackson State 59".Greensboro News & Record.March 6, 1991.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^"Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown – Game Recap – March 22, 2013 – ESPN".
- ^Smith, Timothy W. (March 31, 1991)."College Basketball; Smith Ejected on 2 Technicals".The New York Times.
- ^Moran, Malcolm (March 6, 1991)."Fordham takes aim at an NCAA berth".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 4,2016.
- ^Moran, Malcolm (March 7, 1991)."Fordham's road to NCAA blocked by St. Francis, 70–64".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 4,2016.
- ^ab"Northeast Louisiana wins NCAA bid".The New York Times.March 7, 1991.RetrievedMarch 4,2016.
- ^"The longest winning streaks in college basketball history | NCAA.com".www.ncaa.com.
- NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
- 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
- Basketball competitions in Charlotte, North Carolina
- March 1991 sports events in the United States
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