The 1990–91 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team was a Division I college basketball team that competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team brought to Duke their first national championship when they defeated Kansas 72–65. Duke would win the championship again the following year, making Duke the first team since UCLA in 1973 to win back-to-back titles.
| 1990–91 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball | |
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NCAA tournament National Champions ACC regular season champions | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 6 |
| AP | No. 6 |
| Record | 32–7 (11–3 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches | |
| Home arena | Cameron Indoor Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Duke | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | 32 | – | 7 | .821 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 North Carolina † | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | 29 | – | 6 | .829 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 19 | – | 11 | .633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 20 | – | 11 | .645 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 17 | – | 13 | .567 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | 16 | – | 12 | .571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 2 | – | 12 | .143 | 11 | – | 17 | .393 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1991 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
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Expectations
The Blue Devils had ended the 1990 season with a record-setting 30-point loss to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in the national championship game (103–73). After losing seniors Phil Henderson, Alaa Abdelnaby, and Robert Brickey to graduation, Duke welcomed a new addition to the team, freshman Grant Hill.
Regular season
With junior Christian Laettner and sophomore Bobby Hurley leading the way, Duke placed third at the Preseason NIT (behind Arizona and Arkansas). The Blue Devils went on to compile a 25–6 regular season record, including a perfect 16–0 mark at home. Scoring victories in both rivalry matches against North Carolina and sporting an 11–3 conference record, Duke also captured their 9th regular-season championship in school history.
Conference tournament
Duke entered the ACC tournament as a No. 1 seed, but stumbled in the ACC title game against North Carolina by a score of 96–74, even though the Blue Devils had defeated the Tar Heels twice during the regular season. As a result, North Carolina received the top seed in the East Regional, leaving Duke with a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA tournament.
NCAA tournament
Duke however tore through the Midwest Regional, defeating St. John's to join UNLV, Kansas, and rival North Carolina in the Final Four in Indianapolis. Entering the semifinal game against UNLV, the Blue Devils were facing an undefeated and top-ranked Runnin' Rebels squad that boasted a 45-game winning streak and featured National Player of the Year Larry Johnson. In one of the biggest upsets in Final Four history, however, Duke got its revenge from a year ago by a score of 79–77 after Laettner hit two free throws with 12 seconds remaining and UNLV guard Anderson Hunt missed a three-point attempt at the end-of-game buzzer.[1][2]
An all-ACC, Duke vs. UNC title game was averted when Roy Williams coached his Kansas Jayhawks team to victory over his mentor Dean Smith and his Tar Heels squad. In what would become the first of many matchups between Williams (later head coach at North Carolina until his retirement in 2021) and Mike Krzyzewski, Duke finally claimed its first national championship by a score of 72–65. Laettner was named NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Schedule
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 14, 1990* | No. 6 | Marquette Preseason NIT | W 87–74 | 1–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| November 16, 1990* | No. 6 | Boston College Preseason NIT | W 100–76 | 2–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| November 21, 1990* ESPN | No. 6 | vs. No. 2 Arkansas Preseason NIT | L 88–98 | 2–1 | Madison Square Garden New York, NY | ||||||
| November 23, 1990* ESPN | No. 6 | vs. Notre Dame Preseason NIT | W 85–77 | 3–1 | Madison Square Garden New York, NY | ||||||
| November 26, 1990* 7:30 pm | No. 6 | East Carolina | W 125–82 | 4–1 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| December 1, 1990* 7:30 pm | No. 8 | Charlotte | W 111–94 | 5–1 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| December 5, 1990* 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 6 Georgetown ACC/Big East Challenge | L 74–79 | 5–2 | Capital Center Landover, Maryland | ||||||
| December 8, 1990* 2:00 pm, ABC | No. 5 | Michigan | W 75–68 | 6–2 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| December 19, 1990* 7:30 pm | No. 9 | at Harvard | W 83–66 | 7–2 | Briggs Athletic Center Cambridge, MA | ||||||
| December 22, 1990* 3:45 pm, CBS | No. 9 | at No. 11 Oklahoma | W 90–85 | 8–2 | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK | ||||||
| December 29, 1990* 7:30 pm | No. 8 | Lehigh | W 97–67 | 9–2 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| January 2, 1991* 7:30 pm | No. 8 | Boston University | W 109–55 | 10–2 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| January 5, 1991 12:30 pm | No. 8 | at No. 18 Virginia | L 64–81 | 10–3 (0–1) | University Hall Charlottesville, VA | ||||||
| January 9, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 14 | No. 24 Georgia Tech | W 98–57 | 11–3 (1–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| January 12, 1991 1:00 pm | No. 14 | at Maryland | W 94–78 | 12–3 (2–1) | Cole Field House College Park, MD | ||||||
| January 14, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 14 | Wake Forest | W 89–67 | 13–3 (3–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| January 16, 1991* 7:30 pm | No. 12 | at The Citadel | W 83–50 | 14–3 | McAlister Field House Charleston, SC | ||||||
| January 19, 1991 8:00 pm | No. 12 | No. 5 North Carolina | W 74–60 | 15–3 (4–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| January 23, 1991 7:00 pm | No. 9 | at NC State | L 89–95 | 15–4 (4–2) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC | ||||||
| January 26, 1991 4:00 pm | No. 9 | at Clemson | W 99–70 | 16–4 (5–2) | Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC | ||||||
| January 30, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 7 | at No. 23 Georgia Tech | W 77–75 | 17–4 (6–2) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, GA | ||||||
| February 2, 1991* 4:00 pm | No. 7 | at Notre Dame | W 90–77 | 18–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN | ||||||
| February 7, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 6 | No. 11 Virginia | W 86–74 | 19–4 (7–2) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| February 9, 1991 1:00 pm | No. 6 | Maryland | W 101–81 | 20–4 (8–2) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| February 10, 1991* 2:00 pm | No. 6 | No. 19 LSU | W 88–70 | 21–4 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| February 13, 1991* | No. 5 | Davidson | W 74–39 | 22–4 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| February 16, 1991 4:00 pm | No. 5 | at Wake Forest | L 77–86 | 22–5 (8–3) | Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| February 20, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 7 | vs. NC State | W 72–65 | 23–5 (9–3) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| February 24, 1991* 4:00 pm | No. 7 | at No. 9 Arizona | L 96–103 2OT | 23–6 | McKale Center Tucson, AZ | ||||||
| February 27, 1991 9:00 pm | No. 8 | Clemson | W 79–62 | 24–6 (10–3) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC | ||||||
| March 3, 1991 2:00 pm | No. 8 | at No. 4 North Carolina | W 83–77 | 25–6 (11–3) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC | ||||||
| ACC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 9, 1991 | No. 6 | vs. NC State ACC tournament semifinals | W 93–72 | 26–6 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC | ||||||
| March 10, 1991 Raycom (Locally) CBS (Nationally) | No. 6 | vs. No. 7 North Carolina ACC Tournament Finals | L 74–96 | 26–7 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC | ||||||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 14, 1991* CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (15 MW) Northeast Louisiana NCAA Midwest First round | W 102–73 | 27–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN | ||||||
| March 16, 1991* CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (7 MW) Iowa NCAA Midwest Second Round | W 85–70 | 28–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN | ||||||
| March 22, 1991* CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (11 MW) Connecticut NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal | W 81–67 | 29–7 | Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI | ||||||
| March 24, 1991* CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (4 MW) No. 20 St. John's NCAA Midwest Regional Final | W 78–61 | 30–7 | Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI | ||||||
| March 30, 1991* CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (1 W) No. 1 UNLV NCAA National semifinal | W 79–77 | 31–7 | RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| April 1, 1991* 21:00, CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (3 SE) No. 12 Kansas NCAA national championship | W 72–65 | 32–7 | RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. | |||||||||||
Accomplishments
- 1st basketball championship after 4 previous appearances in title game (1964, 1978, 1986, 1990)
- 2nd straight appearance in national championship game (1990, 1991)
- 4th straight appearance in Final Four (1988–1991)
- Christian Laettner was a consensus All-American Second Team selection.[3]
- Three players received All-ACC honors:
- Christian Laettner (1st Team)
- Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill (3rd Team)
- Three players from the 1991 squad (Laettner, Hurley, and Grant Hill) had their jerseys retired by Duke.