1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament March 2026 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game August 2023 1991 1991 Final Four logo.svg 64 Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, Indiana Duke Blue Devils 1st 5th 9th Kansas Jayhawks 6th 9th North Carolina Tar Heels 10th UNLV Runnin' Rebels 4th Mike Krzyzewski 1st Christian Laettner Duke 665,707 Christian Laettner Duke 125 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. The 53rd annual edition of the tournament began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1, at the Hoosier Dome 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,l8JmUVldKKA 1991 1991 NCAA Basketball Semifinal Game then won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final game over Kansas, coached by Roy Williams.OnFFAuDeAIY 1991 NCAA basketball national championship game 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 marked the first time a #15 seed upset a #2 seed since the tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, when Richmond accomplished against Syracuse in the East region. In addition, for the first time ever, at least one team seeded #9 through #15 won a first-round game. This feat would be followed in 2013, 2016, and 2021. This tournament adopted the NBA's 10ths-second timer during the final minute of each period in all arenas. Schedule and venues USA 450 right 1991 first and second rounds USA green pog.svg 33.748995 -84.387982 bottom #FFFFFF Atlanta Omni Coliseum USA green pog.svg 38.989697 -76.937760 bottom #FFFFFF College Park Cole Field House USA green pog.svg 38.252665 -85.758456 bottom #FFFFFF Louisville Freedom Hall USA green pog.svg 39.758948 -84.191607 top #FFFFFF Dayton University of Dayton Arena USA green pog.svg 43.048122 -76.147424 bottom #FFFFFF Syracuse Carrier Dome USA green pog.svg 44.976154 -93.267431 top #FFFFFF Minneapolis Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome USA green pog.svg 32.221743 -110.926479 bottom #FFFFFF Tucson McKale Center USA green pog.svg 40.760779 -111.891047 top #FFFFFF Salt Lake City Jon M. Huntsman Center USA 450 right 1991 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red) USA blue pog.svg 47.606209 -122.332071 right #FFFFFF Seattle KeyArena USA blue pog.svg 35.227087 -80.843127 right #FFFFFF Charlotte Charlotte Coliseum USA blue pog.svg 42.638922 -83.291047 bottom #FFFFFF Pontiac Pontiac Silverdome USA blue pog.svg 39.952584 -74.097086 bottom #FFFFFF E. Rutherford Izod Center Meadowlands Arena USA red pog.svg 39.768403 -86.158068 bottom #FFFFFF Indianapolis RCA Dome Hoosier Dome 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 Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah) 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 (Hosts: Seton Hall University, Big East Conference) Midwest Regional, Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan (Host: University of Detroit Mercy) National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) March 30 and April 1 Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Butler University, Midwestern Collegiate Conference) Teams There were 26 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 23 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while three were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Big Ten, Ivy League and Pac-10). Another 35 bids were awarded by the NCAA tournament committee at-large to the best teams in the nation not already qualified. The Big Eight was eligible for an automatic bid to the tournament, but their conference tournament was won by Missouri, who were on probation and ineligible for the NCAA tournament.Doug Smith rules Big Eight Tournament https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/03/10/Doug-Smith-rules-Big-Eight-Tournament/6426668581200/ UPI Archives March 10, 1991 May 25, 2023 No automatic bid was awarded to the Big Eight. Play-in Games The remaining three bids were decided by play-in games between the six lowest-rated conferences in the nation. These matchups, which were decided prior to the season, paired the tournament champions of the six lowest-rated conferences in the nation in games played at campus sites:Despite losing automatic bid, MEAC will get money McCann Gary https://greensboro.com/despite-losing-automatic-bid-meac-will-get-money/article_867ac1b8-da15-5f61-ba07-2c31ebb95914.html Greensboro News & Record May 17, 1990 May 25, 2023 The winner of the NEC tournament, Saint Francis (PA), hosted the winner of the Patriot League tournament, 1990 Fordham Rams Fordham.BASKETBALL; Fordham's Road to N.C.A.A. Blocked by St. Francis, 70-64 https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/07/sports/basketball-fordham-s-road-to-ncaa-blocked-by-st-francis-70-64.html Moran Malcolm The New York Times March 7, 1991 May 25, 2023 The winner of the Southland tournament, Northeast Louisiana, hosted the winner of the MEAC tournament, Florida A&M.Northeast Louisiana 87, Florida A&M 63 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/03/06/Northeast-Louisiana-87-Florida-AM-63/1338668235600/ UPI Archives March 6, 1991 May 25, 2023 The winner of the SWAC tournament, 1990 none Jackson State Tigers Jackson State, hosted the winner of the Big South tournament, Coastal Carolina.Coastal Carolina 78, Jackson State 59 https://greensboro.com/coastal-carolina-78-jackson-state-59/article_4deb3025-a491-5685-8079-9cef3e63a9fd.html Greensboro News & Record March 6, 1991 May 25, 2023 Unlike the later Opening Round and First Four games, the play-in games were not considered part of the NCAA tournament. This meant that the winners of these games were not credited with an NCAA tournament win, and only the teams that advanced to the field of 64 were credited with an NCAA tournament appearance. All three games were played on March 6, 1991. left NEC-Patriot Play-inLoretto, Pennsylvania high no 1990 Fordham Rams Fordham 64 Saint Francis 70 left Southland-MEAC Play-inMonroe, Louisiana high no Florida A&M 63 Northeast Louisiana 87 left SWAC-Big South Play-inJackson, Mississippi high no Coastal Carolina 78 1990 Jackson State Tigers none Jackson State 59 Automatic qualifiers Five conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances: Coastal Carolina (Big South), Georgia State (TAAC), Green Bay (Mid-Continent), Saint Francis (PA) (NEC), and Saint Peter's (MAAC). +Automatic qualifiersConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bidACCNorth Carolina25th1990American SouthLouisiana Tech5th1989Atlantic 10Penn State6th1965Big EastSeton Hall3rd1989Big SkyMontana2nd1975Big TenOhio State17th1990Big WestUNLV12th1990CAARichmond5th1990East CoastTowson State2nd1990Ivy LeaguePrinceton17th1990MAACSaint Peter's1st0 NeverMACEastern Michigan2nd1988MCCXavier8th1990MetroFlorida State7th1989Mid-ContinentGreen Bay1st0 NeverMissouri ValleyCreighton9th1989NACNortheastern7th1987Ohio ValleyMurray State5th1990Pac-10Arizona10th1990SECAlabama10th1990SouthernEast Tennessee State4th1990Sun BeltSouth Alabama4th1989SWCArkansas17th1990TAACGeorgia State1st0 NeverWACBYU15th1990West CoastPepperdine9th1986Big South–SWAC Play-inCoastal Carolina1st0 NeverMEAC–Southland Play-inNortheast Louisiana4th1990Patriot–NEC Play-inSaint Francis (PA)1st0 Never Tournament seeds +East Regional – Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New JerseySeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1North CarolinaACC25–5Automatic2SyracuseBig East26–5At-Large3Oklahoma StateBig Eight22–7At-Large4UCLAPac-1023–8At-Large5Mississippi StateSEC20–8At-Large6NC StateACC19–10At-Large7PurdueBig Ten17–11At-Large8PrincetonIvy League24–2Automatic9VillanovaBig East16–14At-Large10TempleAtlantic 1021–9At-Large11Southern MissMetro21–7At-Large12Eastern MichiganMAC24–6Automatic13Penn StateAtlantic 1020–10Automatic14New MexicoWAC20–9At-Large15RichmondCAA21–9Automatic16NortheasternNAC22–10Automatic+Midwest Regional – Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, MichiganSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1Ohio StateBig Ten25–3Automatic2DukeACC26–7At-Large3NebraskaBig Eight26–7At-Large4St. John'sBig East20–8At-Large5TexasSWC22–8At-Large6LSUSEC20–9At-Large7IowaBig Ten20–10At-Large8Georgia TechACC16–12At-Large9DePaulIndependent20–8At-Large10East Tennessee StateSouthern28–4Automatic11ConnecticutBig East18–10At-Large12Saint Peter'sMAAC24–6Automatic13Northern IllinoisMid-Continent25–5At-Large14XavierMCC21–9Automatic15Northeast LouisianaSouthland25–7Play-in Winner16Towson StateEast Coast19–10Automatic+Southeast Regional – Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North CarolinaSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1ArkansasSWC31–3Automatic2IndianaBig Ten27–4At-Large3KansasBig Eight22–7At-Large4AlabamaSEC21–9Automatic5Wake ForestACC18–10At-Large6PittsburghBig East20–11At-Large7Florida StateMetro20–10Automatic8Arizona StatePac-1019–9At-Large9RutgersAtlantic 1019–9At-Large10USCPac-1019–9At-Large11GeorgiaSEC17–12At-Large12Louisiana TechAmerican South21–9Automatic13Murray StateOhio Valley24–8Automatic14New OrleansAmerican South23–7At-Large15Coastal CarolinaBig South24–7Play-in Winner16Georgia StateTAAC16–14Automatic+West Regional – Kingdome, Seattle, WashingtonSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1UNLVBig West30–0Automatic2ArizonaPac-1026–6Automatic3Seton HallBig East22–8Automatic4UtahWAC28–3At-Large5Michigan StateBig Ten18–10At-Large6New Mexico StateBig West23–5At-Large7VirginiaACC21–11At-Large8GeorgetownBig East18–12At-Large9VanderbiltSEC17–12At-Large10BYUWAC20–12Automatic11CreightonMissouri Valley23–7Automatic12Green BayMid-Continent24–6Automatic13South AlabamaSun Belt22–8Automatic14PepperdineWest Coast22–8Automatic15Saint Francis (PA)NEC24–7Play-in Winner16MontanaBig Sky23–7Automatic Bracket East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Syracuse Syracuse College Park College Park North Carolina 101 16 Northeastern 66 8 Princeton 48 9 Villanova 50 5 Mississippi State 56 12 Eastern Michigan 76 4 UCLA 69 13 Penn State 74 6 NC State 114 11 Southern Miss 85 3 Oklahoma State 67 14 New Mexico 54 7 Purdue 63 10 Temple 80 2 Syracuse 69 15 Richmond 73 1 North Carolina 84 9 Villanova 69 12 Eastern Michigan 71OT 13 Penn State 68 6 NC State 64 3 Oklahoma State 73 10 Temple 77 15 Richmond 64 1 North Carolina 93 12 Eastern Michigan 67 3 Oklahoma State 63 10 72OT Temple 1 North Carolina 75 10 Temple 72 Southeast Regional – Charlotte, North Carolina Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Atlanta Atlanta Louisville Louisville Arkansas 117 16 Georgia State 76 8 Arizona State 79 9 Rutgers 76 5 Wake Forest 71 12 Louisiana Tech 65 4 Alabama 89 13 Murray State 79 6 Pittsburgh 76OT 11 Georgia 68 3 Kansas 55 14 New Orleans 49 7 Florida State 75 10 USC 72 2 Indiana 79 15 Coastal Carolina 69 1 Arkansas 97 8 Arizona State 90 5 Wake Forest 88 4 Alabama 96 6 Pittsburgh 66 3 Kansas 77 7 Florida State 60 2 Indiana 82 1 Arkansas 93 4 Alabama 70 3 Kansas 83 2 Indiana 65 1 Arkansas 81 3 Kansas 93 Midwest Regional – Pontiac, Michigan Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Dayton Dayton Minneapolis Minneapolis Ohio State 97 16 Towson State 86 8 Georgia Tech 87 9 DePaul 70 5 Texas 73 12 Saint Peter's 65 4 St. John's 75 13 Northern Illinois 68 6 LSU 62 11 Connecticut 79 3 Nebraska 84 14 Xavier 89 7 Iowa 76 10 East Tennessee State 73 2 Duke 102 15 Northeast Louisiana 73 1 Ohio State 65 8 Georgia Tech 61 5 Texas 76 4 St. John's 84 11 Connecticut 66 14 Xavier 50 7 Iowa 70 2 Duke 85 1 Ohio State 74 4 St. John's 91 11 Connecticut 67 2 Duke 81 4 St. John's 61 2 Duke 78 West Regional – Seattle, Washington Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Tucson Tucson Salt Lake City Salt Lake City UNLV 99 16 Montana 65 8 Georgetown 70 9 Vanderbilt 60 5 Michigan State 60 12 Wisconsin–Green Bay 58 4 Utah 82 13 South Alabama 72 6 New Mexico State 56 11 Creighton 64 3 Seton Hall 71 14 Pepperdine 51 7 Virginia 48 10 BYU 61 2 Arizona 93 15 Saint Francis 80 1 UNLV 62 8 Georgetown 54 5 Michigan State 84 4 Utah 852OT 11 Creighton 69 3 Seton Hall 81 10 BYU 61 2 Arizona 76 1 UNLV 83 4 Utah 66 3 Seton Hall 81 2 Arizona 77 1 UNLV 77 3 Seton Hall 65 Final Four – Indianapolis, Indiana National semifinals National championship game E1 North Carolina 73 SE3 Kansas 79 MW2 Duke 79 W1 UNLV 77 SE3 Kansas 65 MW2 Duke 72 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 Mimi Griffin – First and Second Rounds at Atlanta, Georgia Tim Ryan/Jim Henderson 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 (of five) consecutive Final Four trips, 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 ten 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;https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=330810046 Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown – Game Recap – March 22, 2013 – ESPN in 2016, Middle Tennessee defeated Michigan State 90–81; in 2021, Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75–72; in 2022, Saint Peter's defeated Kentucky 85–79; and in 2023, Princeton defeated Arizona 59–55. In the Final Four against Kansas, legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith was ejected from the game for leaving the coach's box.https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/31/sports/college-basketball-smith-ejected-on-2-technicals.html College Basketball; Smith Ejected on 2 Technicals The New York Times 31 March 1991 Smith Timothy W. 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 of the North Carolina–based Atlantic Coast Conference teams, also known as the Tobacco Road or Big Four teams: North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest. The Final Four was also 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 each in the NCAA tournament and the NIT – the 1971 NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden, which North Carolina won 73–67 and the 2022 Final Four at the Caesars Superdome, which the 8th-seeded Tar Heels won 81–77 in the last game of Mike Krzyzewski's coaching career. 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.https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/06/sports/basketball-fordham-takes-aim-at-an-ncaa-berth.html Fordham takes aim at an NCAA berth The New York Times Malcolm Moran March 6, 1991 March 4, 2016 The results were: Saint Francis, Pennsylvania (NEC) defeated Fordham (Patriot) 70–64,https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/07/sports/basketball-fordham-s-road-to-ncaa-blocked-by-st-francis-70-64.html Fordham's road to NCAA blocked by St. Francis, 70–64 The New York Times Malcolm Moran March 7, 1991 March 4, 2016 Coastal Carolina (Big South) over Jackson State (SWAC) 78–59,https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/07/sports/basketball-northeast-louisiana-wins-ncaa-bid.html Northeast Louisiana wins NCAA bid The New York Times March 7, 1991 March 4, 2016 and NE Louisiana (Southland) over Florida A&M (MEAC) 87–63. These are not opening round games and the losers are not credited with an NCAA tournament appearance. UNLV's semi-final loss in the NCAA tournament brought an end to their astounding 45-game win streak. That is the fourth-longest consecutive-game win streak in NCAA Division 1 basketball history, and the longest win streak since the longest one ever (by UCLA) ended in 1974.https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-01-19/longest-winning-streaks-college-basketball-history The longest winning streaks in college basketball history | NCAA.com www.ncaa.com DePaul's appearance is, as of 2023, the last appearance of an independent team in the tournament. The Blue Demons would join the Great Midwest Conference in 1991; Notre Dame, the last prominent independent, would join the Big East in 1995. Though there have been independent teams since, most have been minor programs, or programs in transition between conference affiliations and divisions. It was also the last tournament to feature an East Coast Conference team; the conference, which was born in 1974 from former Middle Atlantic Conference teams, would cease operations in 1994 after most of the teams joined larger conferences. Until 2025 this was the only time that Saint Francis (PA) appeared at the tournament. See also 1991 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 1991 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament 1991 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 1991 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 1991 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 1991 National Invitation Tournament 1991 National Women's Invitation Tournament 1991 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 1991 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa Category:College basketball tournaments in Indiana Category:March 1991 sports events in the United States Category:April 1991 sports events in the United States Category:Basketball competitions in Indianapolis Category:1990s in Indianapolis Category:1991 in sports in Indiana