The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time - Elliott Kalb [107]
In short, the Runnin’ Rebels were stacked. But despite this star power, some skeptics in the national media attempted to downplay their dominance heading into the Big Dance by citing the weak competition they faced in the Big West Conference. But in addition to their 18-0 conference record against also-rans like San Jose State, Long Beach State, and UC Santa Barbara (the last team to beat the Rebels before their streak began), UNLV also posted impressive wins in 1991 against eventual tournament teams Michigan State (95-75), Florida State (101-69), and the University of Arkansas (112-105 at Fayetteville), which, at the time of the game, was the nation’s second-ranked team.
“That bunch with Larry Johnson and Anderson Hunt just manhandled you,” former Arkansas Head Coach Nolan Richardson said years later. “They were men playing with boys. I think [UNLV] is the best team I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure anyone else is even close.”
After easily dispatching of the University of Montana, 99-65, in the tournament’s opening round, Tarkanian’s Rebels faced what was perceived by many to be their most serious threat when they faced John Thompson’s Georgetown University Hoyas in round two. Georgetown possessed the twin towers of Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo, and the defensive presence of the 6’10” Mourning and 7’2” Mutombo helped contribute to UNLV shooting just 37% from the field, their worst shooting performance all season. Though the Rebels outlasted Georgetown and escaped with a 62-54 victory, it was only the second time that season that they had been held to a margin of victory below ten points.
Once past Thompson’s Hoyas, it was supposed to be easy sailing to a second consecutive title for UNLV. No team had repeated as champions since John Wooden’s UCLA team won the last of its record seven consecutive titles in 1973 (UCLA would hold this distinction until Billy Donovan’s Florida squad captured back-to-back titles in 2006-07). Moreover, no team had finished a complete season undefeated since Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers managed the feat back in 1976. But all that was expected to change, and when the Runnin’ Rebels bested a very good University of Utah team, 83-66, and a Terry Dehere-led Seton Hall team, 77-65, in the West regional final in Seattle, few believed they would be challenged in Indianapolis.
Duke’s berth in the 1991 Final Four was somewhat of a surprise. Though they were a #2 seed and were the regular season champions of the ACC (an unofficial title), their stunning twenty-two-point loss at the hands of the archrival North Carolina Tar Heels (a team they had beaten twice in the regular season) in the conference tournament championship led many to question whether the 1990-91 Blue Devils had what it took to win on the big stage. Though led by second-team All-America selection Christian Laettner and sturdy point guard Bobby Hurley (son of the legendary high school coach Bob Hurley, Sr. of St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, New Jersey), the losses of graduating seniors Alaa Abdelnaby, Phil Henderson, and Robert Brickey, who together combined to account for just under half of the points the entire Blue Devils team scored in 1989-90, was palpable. While the 1990-91 team was bolstered by the addition of freshman Grant Hill, he had yet to become the dynamic player he’d prove to be in future campaigns. And though Duke’s roster boasted five players averaging double-digit scoring averages, they seemed to lack the toughness and grit required to compete with a team like UNLV. On paper, it looked like an epic mismatch.
Fortunately for the Blue Devils and their fans, championships aren’t decided on paper. Let the record show that Duke defeated UNLV, 79-77, and then captured