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In 1990, UNLV laid a historic beating on Duke, winning 103-73. It was the sort of game that you don’t want to look at again.
Eventually Coach K did though and saw that, as bad as it was, it wasn’t hopeless: UNLV basically had two massive runs. And Duke didn’t have Grant Hill.
Fast forward to 1991.
With Hill, with Christian Laettner rising to greatness, a superb and gritty point guard in Bobby Hurley and support in Thomas Hill, Greg Koubek, Brian Davis, Billy McCaffrey and Crawford Palmer, it wasn’t the same Duke.
You’ll see it at the beginning when Hill swoops in for a layup to start the game and you’ll see it at the end when Hurley steps up to hit a huge three and Davis slices through the Rebel defense for a key basket.
Duke just out-toughed a team that was supposed to win two straight national championships for the first time since UCLA in 1972-73 and claimed an epic upset.
It would happen, but not for UNLV. Duke would follow up the 1991 title with another in 1992 and just missed one more in 1994.
It’s Saturday and we’re all locked in, so kick back, set a couple of hours aside and relive greatness.