1990–91 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1990–91 Basketball Duke Blue Devils basketball mark.svg 125 Duke Blue Devils Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 6 6 32–7 11–3 Mike Krzyzewski 11th Pete Gaudet Mike Brey Tommy Amaker Jay Bilas Cameron Indoor Stadium NCAA tournament National ChampionsACC regular season champions National Championship Game W Won 72–65 vs. Kansas 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. Roster 3 United States G Fr Marty Clark 4 United States G Fr Kenny Blakeney 5 United States G So Billy McCaffrey 11 United States G So Bobby Hurley 12 United States F G Jr Thomas Hill 21 United States F Fr Antonio Lang 22 United States F Sr Greg Koubek 23 United States G F Jr Brian Davis 32 United States F C Jr Christian Laettner 33 United States F G Fr Grant Hill 34 United States C Jr Crawford Palmer 45 United States F C Sr Clay Buckley 54 Germany F Fr Christian Ast 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.http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/numbers/149356.html TSN's Greatest NCAA Tournament Upsets: No. 4 2008-04-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20080331234947/http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/numbers/149356.html 2008-03-31 dead E-Ticket: Almost Immortal 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 |- !colspan=8 style=Duke Blue Devils| Regular season November 14, 1990 yes 6 Marquette Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC Preseason NIT 87–74 1–0 November 16, 1990 yes 6 1990–91 Boston College Eagles Boston College Boston College Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC Preseason NIT 100–76 2–0 November 21, 1990 yes yes 6 Arkansas 2 Madison Square Garden New York, NY Preseason NIT ESPN 88–98 2–1 November 23, 1990 yes yes 6 Notre Dame Madison Square Garden New York, NY Preseason NIT ESPN 85–77 3–1 November 26, 1990 7:30 pm yes 6 1990–91 East Carolina Pirates East Carolina University East Carolina Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 125–82 4–1 December 1, 1990 7:30 pm yes 8 1990–91 Charlotte 49ers University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 111–94 5–1 December 5, 1990 9:00 pm yes yes 5 Georgetown 6 Capital Center Landover, Maryland ACC/Big East Challenge ESPN 74–79 5–2 December 8, 1990 2:00 pm yes 5 Michigan Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC ABC 75–68 6–2 December 19, 1990 7:30 pm yes yes 9 1990–91 Harvard Crimson Harvard University Harvard Briggs Athletic Center Cambridge, MA 83–66 7–2 December 22, 1990 3:45 pm yes yes 9 1990–91 Oklahoma Sooners University of Oklahoma Oklahoma 11 Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK CBS 90–85 8–2 December 29, 1990 7:30 pm yes 8 1990–91 Lehigh Mountain Hawks Lehigh University Lehigh Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 97–67 9–2 January 2, 1991 7:30 pm yes 8 1990–91 Boston University Terriers Boston University Boston University Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 109–55 10–2 January 5, 1991 12:30 pm yes 8 Virginia 18 University Hall Charlottesville, VA 64–81 10–3 0–1 January 9, 1991 9:00 pm 14 Georgia Tech 24 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 98–57 11–3 1–1 January 12, 1991 1:00 pm yes 14 1990–91 Maryland Terrapins University of Maryland Maryland Cole Field House College Park, MD 94–78 12–3 2–1 January 14, 1991 9:00 pm 14 Wake Forest Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 89–67 13–3 3–1 January 16, 1991 7:30 pm yes yes 12 The Citadel McAlister Field House Charleston, SC 83–50 14–3 January 19, 1991 8:00 pm 12 North Carolina 5 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 74–60 15–3 4–1 January 23, 1991 7:00 pm yes 9 NC State Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC 89–95 15–4 4–2 January 26, 1991 4:00 pm yes 9 Clemson Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC 99–70 16–4 5–2 January 30, 1991 9:00 pm yes 7 Georgia Tech 23 Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, GA 77–75 17–4 6–2 February 2, 1991 4:00 pm yes yes 7 Notre Dame Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN 90–77 18–4 February 7, 1991 9:00 pm 6 Virginia 11 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 86–74 19–4 7–2 February 9, 1991 1:00 pm 6 Maryland Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 101–81 20–4 8–2 February 10, 1991 2:00 pm yes 6 LSU 19 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 88–70 21–4 February 13, 1991 yes 5 1990–91 Davidson Wildcats Davidson College Davidson Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 74–39 22–4 February 16, 1991 4:00 pm yes 5 Wake Forest Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC 77–86 22–5 8–3 February 20, 1991 9:00 pm yes 7 NC State Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 72–65 23–5 9–3 February 24, 1991 4:00 pm yes yes 7 Arizona 9 McKale Center Tucson, AZ 96–103 2OT 23–6 February 27, 1991 9:00 pm 8 Clemson Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 79–62 24–6 10–3 March 3, 1991 2:00 pm yes 8 North Carolina 4 Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC 83–77 25–6 11–3 |- !colspan=8 style=Duke Blue Devils| ACC Tournament March 9, 1991 no yes 6 NC State Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC ACC tournament semifinals 93–72 26–6 March 10, 1991 no yes 6 North Carolina 7 Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC ACC Tournament Finals Raycom (Locally)CBS (Nationally) 74–96 26–7 |- !colspan=8 style=Duke Blue Devils| NCAA Tournament March 14, 1991 yes yes 6 2 MW Northeast Louisiana 15 MW Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN NCAA Midwest First round CBS 102–73 27–7 March 16, 1991 yes yes 6 2 MW Iowa 7 MW Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN NCAA Midwest Second Round CBS 85–70 28–7 March 22, 1991 yes yes 6 2 MW Connecticut 11 MW Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal CBS 81–67 29–7 March 24, 1991 yes yes 6 2 MW St. John's 20 4 MW Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI NCAA Midwest Regional Final CBS 78–61 30–7 March 30, 1991 yes yes 6 2 MW UNLV 1 1 W RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN NCAA National semifinal CBS 79–77 31–7 April 1, 1991 21:00 yes yes 6 2 MW Kansas 12 3 SE RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN NCAA national championship CBS 72–65 32–7 Coaches' Poll 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. NCAA.org: 2008 Men’s Basketball Records Book https://web.archive.org/web/20080625154333/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketball_records_book/2008/2008_m_basketball_records.pdf 2008-06-25 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. References External links Duke Blue Devils Basketball Statistical Database Coach K's 1991 Blue Devils win championship Crowning Moments in the Queen City: National Champions Not Always ACC Champions (1991–1993) Category:Duke Blue Devils men's basketball seasons Duke Blue Devils Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons Duke Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Duke Duke