1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament explained

Year:	1990
Teams:	64
Finalfourarena:	McNichols Sports Arena
Finalfourcity:	Denver, Colorado
Champions:	UNLV Runnin' Rebels
Titlecount:	1st
Champgamecount:	1st
Champffcount:	3rd
Runnerup:	Duke Blue Devils
Gamecount:	4th
Runnerffcount:	8th
Semifinal1:	Arkansas Razorbacks
Finalfourcount:	4th
Semifinal2:	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Finalfourcount2:	1st
Coach:	Jerry Tarkanian
Coachcount:	1st
Mop:	Anderson Hunt
Mopteam:	UNLV
Attendance:	537,138
Topscorer:	Dennis Scott
Topscorerteam:	Georgia Tech
Points:	153

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.

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

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

First and Second Rounds

• March 15 and 17
  • East Region
    • Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
  • Midwest Region
    • Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas at Austin)
  • Southeast Region
    • Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee)
  • West Region
    • Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
• March 16 and 18
  • East Region
    • Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Tech)
  • Midwest Region
    • Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Butler University, Midwestern Collegiate Conference)
  • Southeast Region
    • Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia (Hosts: University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • West Region
    • Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California (Host: Long Beach State University)

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 22 and 24
  • East Regional, Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey (Hosts: Seton Hall University, Big East Conference)
  • Midwest Regional, Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas (Host: Southwest Conference)
• March 23 and 25
  • Southeast Regional, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana (Hosts: Tulane University, University of New Orleans)
  • West Regional, Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California (Host: University of California, Berkeley)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

• March 31 and April 2
  • McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado (Hosts: University of Colorado Boulder, Big 8 Conference)

Teams

Region	Seed	Team	Coach	Conference	Finished	Final Opponent	Score
East
East	1			Big East	Elite 8	3 Duke	L 79–78
East	2			Big Eight	Round of 32	7 UCLA	L 71–70
East	3			Atlantic Coast	National Runner Up	1 UNLV	L 103–73
East	4			Metro Atlantic	Round of 32	5 Clemson	L 79–75
East	5			Atlantic Coast	Sweet Sixteen	1 Connecticut	L 71–70
East	6			Big East	Round of 32	3 Duke	L 76–72
East	7			Pacific-10	Sweet Sixteen	3 Duke	L 90–81
East	8			Big Ten	Round of 64	9 California	L 65–63
East	9			Pacific-10	Round of 32	1 Connecticut	L 74–54
East	10			Sun Belt	Round of 64	7 UCLA	L 68–56
East	11			Atlantic 10	Round of 64	6 St. John's	L 81–65
East	12			Western Athletic	Round of 64	5 Clemson	L 49–47
East	13			Metro	Round of 64	4 La Salle	L 79–63
East	14			Colonial	Round of 64	3 Duke	L 81–46
East	15			Northeast	Round of 64	2 Kansas	L 79–71
East	16			North Atlantic	Round of 64	1 Connecticut	L 76–52
Midwest
Midwest	1			Big Eight	Round of 32	8 North Carolina	L 79–77
Midwest	2			Big Ten	Round of 32	10 Texas	L 73–72
Midwest	3			Big East	Round of 32	6 Xavier	L 74–71
Midwest	4			Southwest	National semifinals	3 Duke	L 97–83
Midwest	5			Big Ten	Round of 64	12 Dayton	L 88–86
Midwest	6			Midwestern	Sweet Sixteen	10 Texas	L 102–89
Midwest	7			Southeastern	Round of 64	10 Texas	L 100–88
Midwest	8			Atlantic Coast	Sweet Sixteen	4 Arkansas	L 96–73
Midwest	9			Mid-Continent	Round of 64	8 North Carolina	L 83–70
Midwest	10			Southwest	Elite 8	4 Arkansas	L 88–85
Midwest	11			Big Eight	Round of 64	6 Xavier	L 87–79
Midwest	12			Midwestern	Round of 32	4 Arkansas	L 86–84
Midwest	13			Ivy League	Round of 64	4 Arkansas	L 68–64
Midwest	14			Southwest Athletic	Round of 64	3 Georgetown	L 70–52
Midwest	15			Southland	Round of 64	2 Purdue	L 75–63
Midwest	16			East Coast	Round of 64	1 Oklahoma	L 77–68
Southeast
Southeast	1			Big Ten	Sweet Sixteen	4 Georgia Tech	L 81–80
Southeast	2			Big East	Sweet Sixteen	6 Minnesota	L 82–75
Southeast	3			Big Eight	Round of 64	14 Northern Iowa	L 74–71
Southeast	4			Atlantic Coast	National semifinals	1 UNLV	L 90–81
Southeast	5			Southeastern	Round of 32	4 Georgia Tech	L 94–91
Southeast	6			Big Ten	Elite 8	4 Georgia Tech	L 93–91
Southeast	7			Atlantic Coast	Round of 32	2 Syracuse	L 63–61
Southeast	8			Southwest	Round of 64	9 UC Santa Barbara	L 70–66
Southeast	9			Big West	Round of 32	1 Michigan State	L 62–58
Southeast	10			Independent	Round of 64	7 Virginia	L 75–67
Southeast	11			Western Athletic	Round of 64	6 Minnesota	L 64–61
Southeast	12			Big East	Round of 64	5 LSU	L 70–63
Southeast	13			Southern	Round of 64	4 Georgia Tech	L 99–83
Southeast	14			Mid-Continent	Round of 32	6 Minnesota	L 81–78
Southeast	15			Mid-Eastern	Round of 64	2 Syracuse	L 70–48
Southeast	16			Ohio Valley	Round of 64	1 Michigan State	L 75–71
West
West	1			Big West	Champion	3 Duke	W 103–73
West	2			Pacific-10	Round of 32	7 Alabama	L 77–55
West	3			Big Ten	Round of 32	11 Loyola Marymount	L 149–115
West	4			Metro	Round of 32	12 Ball State	L 62–60
West	5		Jim Anderson	Pacific-10	Round of 64	12 Ball State	L 54–53
West	6			Big West	Round of 64	11 Loyola Marymount	L 111–92
West	7			Southeastern	Sweet Sixteen	11 Loyola Marymount	L 62–60
West	8			Big Ten	Round of 32	1 UNLV	L 76–65
West	9			Big East	Round of 64	8 Ohio State	L 84–83
West	10			Western Athletic	Round of 64	7 Alabama	L 71–54
West	11			West Coast	Elite 8	1 UNLV	L 131–101
West	12			Mid-American	Sweet Sixteen	1 UNLV	L 69–67
West	13			Big Sky	Round of 64	4 Louisville	L 78–59
West	14			Missouri Valley	Round of 64	3 Michigan	L 76–70
West	15			Sun Belt	Round of 64	2 Arizona	L 79–67
West	16			Trans America	Round of 64	1 UNLV	L 102–72

Bracket

East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

• – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

Regional Final summary

Southeast Regional – New Orleans, Louisiana

• – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

West Regional – Oakland, California

• – denotes overtime period

Regional Final summary

National Championship

See main article: 1990 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game.

Announcers

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

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

• 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

• 1990 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
• 1990 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
• 1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
• NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
• NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
• 1990 National Invitation Tournament
• National Women's Invitation Tournament
• 1990 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
• NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament

Notes and References

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