1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1989 File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg UNLV Runnin' Rebels March 15 April 2, 1990 McNichols Sports Arena Denver, Colorado UNLV Runnin' Rebels Vanderbilt Commodores Lionel Simmons, La Salle Explorers The 1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1989 and ended with the Final Four at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, on April 2, 1990. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels won their first NCAA national championship with a 103–73 victory over the Duke Blue Devils. Season headlines The Associated Press (AP) Poll expanded from a Top 20 to a Top 25 format.sports-reference.com Matchup Finder Prior to the season, the West Coast Athletic Conference renamed itself the West Coast Conference. In a 1990 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament semifinal game on March 4, 1990, Loyola Marymount forward Hank Gathers collapsed during the first half and stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead two hours later. The game and the rest of the tournament were cancelled. Regular-season champion Loyola Marymount received the conference's automatic bid in the 1990 NCAA tournament and made a run to the Elite Eight.https://www.si.com/vault/1990/03/12/121624/death-on-the-court-loyola-marymounts-hank-gathers-was-at-the-top-one-minute-the-next-he-collapsed-and-lay-dying-as-his-mother-stood-mournfully-by-him Sports Illustrated Smith Shelley Shelley Smith (sports reporter) Death on the court March 12, 1990 14 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x2BWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cvADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6454%2C3469556 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington (Los Angeles Times) Jones Gary Loyola's Gathers dies March 5, 1990 C1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s0RWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nuoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6200%2C1300740 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Marymount's Gathers dies; Games halted March 5, 1990 1Dhttps://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/30880702/the-tragedy-hank-gathers-triumph-loyola-marymount%3fplatform=amp The tragedy of Hank Gathers and triumph of Loyola Marymount 13 March 2021 Lionel Simmons became the first NCAA Division I player to score more than 3,000 points and gather more than 1,100 rebounds. The senior forward from La Salle averaged 26.5 points and 11.1 rebounds to earn National Player of the Year. Season outlook Pre-season polls The top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.*ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 976 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 Associated PressRankingTeam1 UNLV2 LSU3 Syracuse4 Michigan5 Georgetown6 Arizona7 North Carolina8 Illinois9 Arkansas10 Duke11 Missouri12 Louisville13 UCLA14 Indiana15 Temple16 Oklahoma17 Notre Dame18 Pittsburgh19 NC State20 Minnesota21 1989 men Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State22 Georgia Tech23 1989 men Florida Gators Florida24 1989 men Memphis Tigers Memphis25 St. John's UPI CoachesRankingTeam1 UNLV2 Syracuse3 LSU4 Georgetown5 Michigan6 Arizona7 North Carolina8 Illinois9 Duke 10 Arkansas Arizona12 Indiana13 UCLA14 Louisville 15 Georgia Tech16 Oklahoma17 Temple18 Pittsburgh19 Notre Dame 20 1989 men Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Houston Baptist Houston Baptist Huskies Trans American Athletic Conference NAIA independent Loyola Maryland Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds Northeast Conference Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Marquette Marquette Warriors NCAA Division I independent Midwestern Collegiate Conference Mount Saint Mary's Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers NCAA Division I independent Northeast Conference Oral Roberts Oral Roberts Titans NCAA Division I independent NAIA independent Siena Siena Saints North Atlantic Conference Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Southeastern Louisiana Southeastern Louisiana Lions NCAA Division I independent No team Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season first placeConference player of the yearConference Coach of the YearConference tournamentTournament venue (city)Tournament winner American South Conference Louisiana Tech & 1989 men New Orleans Privateers New Orleans Tony Harris, New Orleans 1990 American South Conference men's basketball tournament Convocation CenterJonesboro, Arkansas New Orleans Atlantic 10 Conference Temple Kenny Green, Rhode Island Bruce Parkhill, Penn State 1990 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament The Palestra & McGonigle HallPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania Temple Atlantic Coast Conference Clemson Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech Cliff Ellis, Clemson 1990 ACC men's basketball tournament Charlotte ColiseumCharlotte, North Carolina Georgia Tech Big East Conference Connecticut & Syracuse Derrick Coleman, Syracuse Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 1990 Big East men's basketball tournament Madison Square GardenNew York, New York Connecticut Big Eight Conference Missouri Doug Smith, Missouri Roy Williams, Kansas 1990 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper ArenaKansas City, Missouri Oklahoma Big Sky Conference Idaho Riley Smith, Idaho Bob Hofman, Eastern Washington 1990 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament BSU PavilionBoise, Idaho Idaho Big South Conference Coastal Carolina Tony Dunkin, Coastal Carolina Russ Bergman, Coastal Carolina 1990 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament Winthrop ColiseumRock Hill, South Carolina Coastal Carolina Big Ten Conference Michigan State Steve Scheffler, Purdue Gene Keady, PurdueNo Tournament Big West Conference UNLV Larry Johnson, UNLV Neil McCarthy, 1988 men New Mexico State Aggies New Mexico State 1990 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament Long Beach ArenaLong Beach, California UNLV Colonial Athletic Association James Madison Steve Hood, James Madison Lefty Driesell, James Madison 1990 CAA men's basketball tournament Richmond ColiseumRichmond, Virginia Richmond East Coast Conference Hofstra, Lehigh, & Towson State Kurk Lee, Towson State Dave Duke, Lehigh 1990 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament Towson CenterTowson, Maryland Towson State Ivy League Princeton Kit Mueller, Princeton Not namedNo Tournament Metro Conference Louisville Clarence Weatherspoon, Southern Mississippi Bob Huggins, Cincinnati 1990 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Mississippi Coast ColiseumBiloxi, Mississippi Louisville Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Holy Cross (North)La Salle (South) Lionel Simmons, La Salle George Blaney, Holy Cross 1990 MAAC men's basketball tournament Knickerbocker ArenaAlbany, New York La Salle Mid-American Conference Ball State Dave Jamerson, Ohio Jim McDonald, Kent State 1990 MAC men's basketball tournament Cobo ArenaDetroit, Michigan Ball State Mid-Continent Conference SW Missouri State Lee Campbell, SW Missouri State Dick Bennett, Wisconsin-Green Bay 1990 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament UNI-DomeCedar Falls, Iowa Northern Iowa Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coppin State Larry Stewart, Coppin State Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 1990 MEAC men's basketball tournament Greensboro ColiseumGreensboro, North Carolina Coppin State Midwestern Collegiate Conference Xavier Tyrone Hill, Xavier Pete Gillen, Xavier 1990 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament UD ArenaDayton, Ohio Dayton Missouri Valley Conference Southern Illinois Bob Harstad, Creighton Rich Herrin, Southern Illinois 1990 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Redbird ArenaNormal, Illinois Illinois State North Atlantic Conference Northeastern Steven Key, Boston University Mike Jarvis, Boston University 1990 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Boston University Northeast Conference Robert Morris Desi Wilson, Fairleigh Dickinson Jarrett Durham, Robert Morris 1990 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament Charles L. Sewall CenterMoon Township, Pennsylvania Robert Morris Ohio Valley Conference Murray State Popeye Jones, Murray State Steve Newton, Murray State 1990 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Racer ArenaMurray, Kentucky Murray State Pacific-10 Conference Arizona & Oregon State Gary Payton, Oregon State Jimmy Anderson, Oregon State 1990 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament University Activity CenterTempe, Arizona Arizona Southeastern Conference Georgia Chris Jackson, LSU Tommy Joe Eagles, Auburn 1990 SEC men's basketball tournament Orlando ArenaOrlando, Florida Alabama Southern Conference East Tennessee State Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State, & John Taft, Marshall Dana Altman, Marshall, & Les Robinson East Tennessee State 1990 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Asheville Civic CenterAsheville, North Carolina East Tennessee State Southland Conference Northeast Louisiana Anthony Pullard, McNeese State Mike Vining, Northeast Louisiana 1990 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament Fant–Ewing ColiseumMonroe, Louisiana Northeast Louisiana Southwest Conference Arkansas Travis Mays, Texas Nolan Richardson, Arkansas 1990 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament Reunion ArenaDallas, Texas Arkansas Southwestern Athletic Conference Southern Joe Faulkner, Southern 1990 SWAC men's basketball tournament Health and Physical Education ArenaHouston, Texas Texas Southern Sun Belt Conference UAB Chris Gatling, Old Dominion Bobby Paschal, South Florida 1990 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Birmingham–Jefferson Civic CenterBirmingham, Alabama South Florida Trans America Athletic Conference Centenary Larry Robinson, Centenary Tommy Vardeman, Centenary 1990 TAAC men's basketball tournament Barton ColiseumLittle Rock, Arkansas Arkansas–Little Rock West Coast Athletic Conference Loyola Marymount Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount Paul Westhead, Loyola Marymount 1990 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament Gersten PavilionLos Angeles, California Semifinals and championship canceled Western Athletic Conference BYU & Colorado State Mike Mitchell, Colorado State Roger Reid, BYU 1990 WAC men's basketball tournament Special Events CenterEl Paso, Texas UTEP Conference standings Division I independents A total of 19 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Wright State (21–7) had both the best winning percentage (.750) and the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1990.html Sports Reference 1989-90 Men's Independent Season Summary August 27, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 La Salle Lionel Simmons, La Salle La Salle finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5. Statistical leaders Points per game Rebounds per game Assists per game Blocked shots per game Player School PPG Player School RPG Player School APG Player School BPG Bo Kimble Loyola Marymount 35.3 Anthony Bonner Saint Louis 13.8 Todd Lehmann Drexel 9.3 Kenny Green Rhode Island 4.8 Kevin Bradshaw U.S. International 31.3 Eric McArthur UCSB 13.0 Aaron Mitchell Louisiana-Lafayette 9.1 Dikembe Mutombo Georgetown 4.1 Dave Jamerson Ohio 31.2 LaPhonso Ellis Notre Dame 12.6 Keith Jennings East Tennessee State 8.7 Kevin Roberson Vermont 3.8 Alphonso Ford Mississippi Valley State 29.9 Tyrone Hill Xavier 12.6 Otis Livingston Idaho 8.5 Lorenzo Williams Stetson 3.8 Steve Rogers Alabama State 29.7 Lee Campbell Missouri State 12.5 Kenny Anderson Georgia Tech 8.1 Omar Roland Marshall 3.6 Postseason tournaments NCAA Tournament 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four - McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado National semifinals National championship game E3 Duke 97 M4 Arkansas 83 S4 Georgia Tech 81 W1 UNLV 90 E3 Duke 73 W1 UNLV 103 National Invitation Tournament 1990 National Invitation Tournament NIT Semifinals and Final Semifinals Finals Penn State 62 Vanderbilt 75 Saint Louis 80 New Mexico 73 Vanderbilt 74 Saint Louis 72 Third place game Penn State 83 New Mexico 81 Award winners Consensus All-American teams 1990 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Derrick Coleman F Senior Syracuse Chris Jackson G Sophomore Louisiana State Larry Johnson F Junior UNLV Gary Payton G Senior Oregon State Lionel Simmons F Senior La Salle + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Hank Gathers F/C Senior Loyola Marymount Kendall Gill G Senior Illinois Bo Kimble G/F Senior Loyola Marymount Alonzo Mourning C Sophomore Georgetown Rumeal Robinson G Senior Michigan Dennis Scott F Junior Georgia Tech Doug Smith F Junior Missouri Major player of the year awards Wooden Award: Lionel Simmons, La Salle Naismith Award: Lionel Simmons, La Salle Associated Press Player of the Year: Lionel Simmons, La Salle UPI Player of the Year: Lionel Simmons, La Salle NABC Player of the Year: Lionel Simmons, La Salle Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Lionel Simmons, La Salle Adolph Rupp Trophy: Lionel Simmons, La Salle Sporting News Player of the Year: Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech Major freshman of the year awards USBWA National Freshman of the Year: Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech Major coach of the year awards Associated Press Coach of the Year: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut UPI Coach of the Year: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Roy Williams, Kansas NABC Coach of the Year: Jud Heathcote, Michigan State Naismith College Coach of the Year: Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut Sporting News Coach of the Year: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut Other major awards Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Greg "Boo" Harvey, St. John's Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Lionel Simmons, La Salle (3-time recipient) NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Greg "Boo" Harvey, St. John's Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAmericanEd TapscottChris Knoche Arkansas–Little RockMike NewellJim PlattNewell left to coach Lamar. ArmyLes WothkeTom Miller Austin PeayLake KellyDave Loos Boston UniversityMike JarvisBob Brown Jarvis left to coach George Washington.Chicago StateTommy SuittsRick Pryor Cleveland StateKevin MackeyMike Boyd ColoradoTom MillerJoe Harrington Miller left to coach Army.ColumbiaWally HalasJack Rohan DrakeTom AbatemarcoEddie FieldsRudy Washington East Tennessee StateLes RobinsonAlan LeForce Robinson left to coach NC State.Eastern WashingtonBob HofmanJohn Wade FloridaNorm SloanDon DeVoeLon Kruger Sloan was forced to retire on October 31 during an investigation into illegal cash payments to players. DeVoe, the former coach of SEC rival Tennessee, served as interim before Kruger was hired away from Kansas State.Florida InternationalRich WalkerBob Weltlich Fresno StateRon AdamsGary Colson George WashingtonGeorge KuesterMike Jarvis HowardA. B. WilliamsonButch Beard IdahoKermit DavisLarry Eustachy Davis left to coach Texas A&M.Idaho StateJim BoutinHerb Williams Kansas StateLon KrugerDana Altman Kruger left to coach Florida. LamarTony BranchMike Newell Long Beach StateJoe HarringtonSeth Greenberg Harrington left to coach Colorado. Greenberg was an assistant under Harrington.Loyola MarymountPaul WestheadJay HillockWestehead returned to the NBA as coach of the Denver Nuggets.MarshallDana AltmanDwight FreemanAltman left to coach Kansas State.Maryland Eastern ShoreSteve WilliamsBob Hopkins Miami (FL)Bill FosterLeonard HamiltonMiami (OH)Jerry PeirsonJoby Wright Montana StateStu StarnerMick Durham Morgan StateNathaniel TaylorMichael Holmes NC StateJim ValvanoLes RobinsonNicholls StateGordon C. StaufferRickey Broussard Northern ArizonaPat RaffertyHarold Merritt Oklahoma StateLeonard HamiltonEddie Sutton Hamilton left to coach Miami (FL).Prairie View A&MJim DuplantierElwood Plummer Saint Joseph'sJim BoyleJohn Griffin Boyle left to join the coaching staff off the Denver Nuggets.Stephen F. AustinMike MartinNew Fowler Texas A&MShelby MetcalfJohn ThorntonKermit Davis UNC WilmingtonRobert McPhersonKevin Eastman UTSAKen BurmeisterStu Starner VirginiaTerry HollandJeff JonesHolland retired from coaching to become UVA's athletic director.Western KentuckyMurray ArnoldRalph Willard References 2 NCAA