1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

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See also: 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
1991 NCAA Division I
Men's Basketball Tournament
1991 Final Four logo.svg
Season1990–91
Teams64
Finals siteHoosier Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
ChampionsDuke Blue Devils (1st title, 5th title game,
9th Final Four)
Runner-upKansas Jayhawks (6th title game,
9th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachMike Krzyzewski (1st title)
MOPChristian Laettner (Duke)
Attendance665,707
Top scorerChristian Laettner Duke
(125 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
«1990 1992»

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. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 63 games were played.

Duke, coached by Mike 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 over Kansas, coached by Roy Williams.[2] This was the first National Championship game for Williams as a head coach. Kansas defeated Williams' mentor Dean Smith and 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 defeated Oklahoma. Christian Laettner of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

This tournament adopted the NBA's 10ths-second timer during the final minute of each period in all arenas.

Schedule and venues[]

1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is located in the United States
Atlanta
Atlanta
College Park
College Park
Louisville
Louisville
Dayton
Dayton
Syracuse
Syracuse
Minneapolis
Minneapolis
Tucson
Tucson
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
1991 first and second rounds
1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is located in the United States
Seattle
Seattle
Charlotte
Charlotte
Pontiac
Pontiac
E. Rutherford
E. Rutherford
Indianapolis
Indianapolis
1991 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

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
      • Cole Field House, College Park, Maryland (Host: University of Maryland, College Park)
    • Midwest Region
      • Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota)
    • Southeast Region
      • Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville)
    • West Region
  • March 15 and 17
    • East Region
      • Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York (Host: Syracuse University)
    • Midwest Region
      • University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
    • Southeast Region
      • Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Institute of Technology)
    • West Region
      • McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona (Host: University of Arizona)

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 (Host: Seton Hall University)
    • Midwest Regional, Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan (Hosts: Oakland University/University of Detroit Mercy)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

  • March 30 and April 1
    • Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Butler University)

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. 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. This year also saw the final appearance of the Pontiac Silverdome and two former Final Four venues, in Cole Field House and Freedom Hall. Games played in Detroit since have either been at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Ford Field or, starting in 2018, Little Caesars Arena. While both Cole Field House and Freedom Hall have both been replaced, only Freedom Hall's replacement, the KFC Yum! Center, has hosted games since. Games in the Washington area have since been played at either Baltimore, Landover or in Washington itself at Capital One Arena. All subsequent tournament games played in Atlanta are now played at either the Georgia Dome (since demolished) or Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Any future tournament games played in Charlotte would be played at Spectrum Center (although the Coliseum did host the Final Four in 1994).

Teams[]

Region Seed Team Coach Finished Final Opponent Score Officials
East
East 1 North Carolina Dean Smith National Semifinals 3 Kansas L 79–73
East 2 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Round of 64 15 Richmond L 73–69
East 3 Oklahoma State Eddie Sutton Sweet Sixteen 10 Temple L 72–63
East 4 UCLA Jim Harrick Round of 64 13 Penn State L 74–69
East 5 Mississippi State Richard Williams Round of 64 12 Eastern Michigan L 76–56
East 6 NC State Les Robinson Round of 32 3 Oklahoma State L 73–64
East 7 Purdue Gene Keady Round of 64 10 Temple L 80–63
East 8 Princeton Pete Carril Round of 64 9 Villanova L 50–48
East 9 Villanova Rollie Massimino Round of 32 1 North Carolina L 84–69
East 10 Temple John Chaney Regional Runner-up 1 North Carolina L 75–72
East 11 Southern Miss M.K. Turk Round of 64 6 NC State L 114–85
East 12 Eastern Michigan Ben Braun Sweet Sixteen 1 North Carolina L 93–67 Bobby Dibler, David Bair, and Harrell Allen[3]
East 13 Penn State Bruce Parkhill Round of 32 12 Eastern Michigan L 71–68
East 14 New Mexico Dave Bliss Round of 64 3 Oklahoma State L 67–54
East 15 Richmond Dick Tarrant Round of 32 10 Temple L 77–64
East 16 Northeastern Karl Fogel Round of 64 1 North Carolina L 101–66
Midwest
Midwest 1 Ohio State Randy Ayers Sweet Sixteen 4 St. John's L 91–74
Midwest 2 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Champion 3 Kansas W 72–65
Midwest 3 Nebraska Danny Nee Round of 64 14 Xavier L 89–84
Midwest 4 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Regional Runner-up 2 Duke L 78–61
Midwest 5 Texas Tom Penders Round of 32 4 St. John's L 84–76
Midwest 6 LSU Dale Brown Round of 64 11 Connecticut L 79–62
Midwest 7 Iowa Tom Davis Round of 32 2 Duke L 85–70
Midwest 8 Georgia Tech Bobby Cremins Round of 32 1 Ohio State L 65–61
Midwest 9 DePaul Joey Meyer Round of 64 8 Georgia Tech L 87–70
Midwest 10 East Tennessee State Round of 64 7 Iowa L 76–73
Midwest 11 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Sweet Sixteen 2 Duke L 81–67
Midwest 12 Saint Peter's Round of 64 5 Texas L 73–65
Midwest 13 Northern Illinois Jim Molinari Round of 64 4 St. John's L 75–68
Midwest 14 Xavier Pete Gillen Round of 32 11 Connecticut L 66–50
Midwest 15 Northeast Louisiana Mike Vining Round of 64 2 Duke L 102–73
Midwest 16 Towson State Terry Truax Round of 64 1 Ohio State L 97–86
Southeast
Southeast 1 Arkansas Nolan Richardson Regional Runner-up 3 Kansas L 93–81
Southeast 2 Indiana Bob Knight Sweet Sixteen 3 Kansas L 83–65
Southeast 3 Kansas Roy Williams Runner Up 2 Duke L 72–65
Southeast 4 Alabama Wimp Sanderson Sweet Sixteen 1 Arkansas L 93–70
Southeast 5 Wake Forest Dave Odom Round of 32 4 Alabama L 96–88
Southeast 6 Pittsburgh Paul Evans Round of 32 3 Kansas L 77–66
Southeast 7 Florida State Pat Kennedy Round of 32 2 Indiana L 82–60
Southeast 8 Arizona State Bill Frieder Round of 32 1 Arkansas L 97–90
Southeast 9 Rutgers Bob Wenzel Round of 64 8 Arizona State L 79–76 David Libbey, Tom Clark, Gary Mancum[4]
Southeast 10 USC George Raveling Round of 64 7 Florida State L 75–72
Southeast 11 Georgia Hugh Durham Round of 64 6 Pittsburgh L 76–68
Southeast 12 Louisiana Tech Jerry Loyd Round of 64 5 Wake Forest L 71–65
Southeast 13 Murray State Steve Newton Round of 64 4 Alabama L 89–79
Southeast 14 New Orleans Tim Floyd Round of 64 3 Kansas L 55–49
Southeast 15 Coastal Carolina Round of 64 2 Indiana L 79–69
Southeast 16 Georgia State Round of 64 1 Arkansas L 117–76
West
West 1 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian National Semifinals 2 Duke L 79–77
West 2 Arizona Lute Olson Sweet Sixteen 3 Seton Hall L 81–77
West 3 Seton Hall P.J. Carlesimo Regional Runner-up 1 UNLV L 77–65
West 4 Utah Rick Majerus Sweet Sixteen 1 UNLV L 83–66
West 5 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Round of 32 4 Utah L 85–84
West 6 New Mexico State Neil McCarthy Round of 64 11 Creighton L 64–56
West 7 Virginia Jeff Jones Round of 64 10 BYU L 61–48
West 8 Georgetown John Thompson Round of 32 1 UNLV L 62–54
West 9 Vanderbilt Eddie Fogler Round of 64 8 Georgetown L 70–60
West 10 BYU Roger Reid Round of 32 2 Arizona L 76–61
West 11 Creighton Tony Barone Round of 32 3 Seton Hall L 81–69
West 12 Wisconsin-Green Bay Dick Bennett Round of 64 5 Michigan State L 60–58
West 13 South Alabama Ronnie Arrow Round of 64 4 Utah L 82–72
West 14 Pepperdine Tom Asbury Round of 64 3 Seton Hall L 71–51
West 15 Saint Francis (PA) Jim Baron Round of 64 2 Arizona L 93–80
West 16 Montana Stew Morrill Round of 64 1 UNLV L 99–65

Bracket[]

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey[]

First round Second round 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 71
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 72
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[]

First round Second round 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 76
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 Southern California 72
7 Florida State 60
Louisville
2 Indiana 82
2 Indiana 79
15 Coastal Carolina 69

Midwest Regional – Pontiac, Michigan[]

First round Second round 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 Peters 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[]

First round Second round 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 85
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[]

National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E1 North Carolina 73
S3 Kansas 79
S3 Kansas 65
M2 Duke 72
M2 Duke 79
W1 UNLV 77

Broadcast information[]

For the first time, CBS Sports showed 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 time on 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 until 2010. As of 2011, the regional broadcasts have been replaced by simulcast feeds on non-broadcast networks owned by Turner Sports.

Announcers[]

  • Jim Nantz and Billy Packer – Midwest Regional at Pontiac, Michigan; Final Four at Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Dick Stockton and Billy Cunningham – First and Second Rounds at Minneapolis, Minnesota; West Regional at Seattle, Washington
  • James Brown and Bill Raftery – First and Second Rounds at Dayton, Ohio; East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner – First and Second Rounds at Tucson, Arizona; Southeast Regional at Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Verne Lundquist and Len Elmore – First and Second Rounds at College Park, Maryland
  • Brad Nessler and – First and Second Rounds at Atlanta, Georgia
  • Tim Ryan and Dan Bonner – First and Second Rounds at Syracuse, New York
  • Sean McDonough and Bill Walton – First and Second Rounds at Louisville, Kentucky
  • Mel Proctor and Jack Givens – First and Second Rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah

Miscellaneous[]

  • Duke's 79–77 win over 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 on ESPN Classic's Who'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 and Kentucky in 2015. (Saint Joseph's went unbeaten in the 2004 regular season, finishing 27–0, but lost in their conference tournament before the NCAAs. Alcorn State went unbeaten in the 1979 regular season, but got invited to the NIT since the Southwestern Athletic Conference did not have an automatic bid to the NCAAs, and lost to eventual winner Indiana in the 2nd round. Indiana is the last team to win the championship undefeated in 1976).
  • This was Duke's fourth 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's Greg Koubek became the first player to play in four Final Fours, a record matched by Duke teammates Christian Laettner and Brian Davis the next year when the team repeated as national champions.
  • For the first time in tournament history a 15-seed defeated a 2-seed. Richmond defeated Syracuse 73–69. Since then this has happened eight additional times: in 1993, Santa Clara defeated Arizona 64–61; in 1997, Coppin State defeated South Carolina 78–65; in 2001, Hampton defeated 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;[5] in 2016, Middle Tennessee defeated Michigan State 90–81; and in 2021, Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75–72.
  • In the Final Four against Kansas, legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith was ejected from the game for leaving the coach's box.[6]
  • For bracketologists, 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 were no upsets in 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-seed Richmond, 14-seed Xavier, and 13-seed Penn State led to Temple, Connecticut, and Eastern Michigan (respectively) being considered favorites for their second round matchups.
  • This was the first NCAA Tournament to feature all four North Carolina-based Atlantic Coast Conference teams: North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, and Wake Forest.
  • The Final Four was the first to include both halves of the North 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 in the NCAA Tournament or NIT – the 1971 NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden, which North Carolina won 73–67.
  • 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.[7] The results were: Saint Francis, Pennsylvania (NEC) defeated Fordham (Patriot) 70–64,[8] Coastal Carolina (Big South) over Jackson State (SWAC) 78–59,[9] and NE Louisiana (Southland) over Florida A&M (MEAC) 87–63.[9] These are not opening round games and the losers are not credited with an NCAA tournament appearance.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 1991 1991 NCAA Basketball Semifinal Game on YouTube
  2. ^ 1991 NCAA Basketball National Championship Game on YouTube
  3. ^ 1991 NCAA East Regional Semi-Final: 1 North Carolina v. 12 Eastern Michigan, archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2021-08-28
  4. ^ Rutgers v. Arizona State – 3/15/91 – NCAA Tournament (1st Half), archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2021-08-28
  5. ^ "Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown – Game Recap – March 22, 2013 – ESPN".
  6. ^ Smith, Timothy W. (31 March 1991). "College Basketball; Smith Ejected on 2 Technicals". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Moran, Malcolm (March 6, 1991). "Fordham takes aim at an NCAA berth". The New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  8. ^ Moran, Malcolm (March 7, 1991). "Fordham's road to NCAA blocked by St. Francis, 70–64". The New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Northeast Louisiana wins NCAA bid". The New York Times. March 7, 1991. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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