UNLV vs Duke 1991 NCAA's

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

Awesome conversation on the local Vegas radio today regarding the infamous game between the undefeated Rebels and Duke. Who could forget those events?

Rebels were undefeated, cruised through the regular season undefeated, and were "only" a 9-pt favorite against the Dukies.

Duke "wins" the game, and goes on to win the title.

Shortly after, pictures appear in the Las Vegas Review-Journal (and later national publications) of Rebel players sharing the company of Rich (Richie the Fixer) Perry, a noted horse race and sporting event gambler/enthusiast/fixer.

Local speculation (albeit biased, no doubt) is that the refs had more to do with fixing the game than the Rebel players; NCAA wanted Duke to win, better image than the "thug-like" Rebels, etc.

That was at a time when I was watching more college hoops than possibly imaginable. There's NO way you can ever convince me that this game was NOT fixed. I don't care if it was the refs or Grandma-ma LJ, Stacey Augmon or who it was, the Rebels were an absolute machine, thumping Duke by 30 in the title game the year before.

Everybody has an opinion on this one. Let's hear it...

 

[playhosea!]

I watched that game live and it had never even entered my mind as a possibility that UNLV could lose. Just this past weekend I amazed/annoyed some people by rattling off from memory what I remembered as the starting lineup for that year: Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, and George Ackles (I think that's right unless Ackles came off the bench...)

That's three guys with 10+ years of NBA success each and two guys who probably had the talent, but not the focus, to be successful in the NBA.

College basketball is a crazy game and on any given day lots of things can happen. But does it make more sense to me that the game had to be fixed for UNLV to lose? Yes, it does.

 

[GopherGold24]

Not Fixed

No way it was fixed. UNLV just found themselves in a close game and they hadnt been in that situation before. So why wasnt the title game the year before fixed when UNLV ran all over DUke and won by 30? They werent thugs in 1990? Also, in the 1999 title game Duke was favored by 10 versus UCONN which is unheard of in a championship game (at least over the past 25 years) and we all know that UCONN won, does that mean that game was also fixed in favor of UCONN? The UNLV team did have some pretty good players in Augmon, LJ and Anthony but Duke had 3 top 10 picks on that team as well in Laetner, Hill and Hurley. They also had Brian Davis, Antonio Lang, Cherokee Parks and Thomas Hill, all of which were drafted in the NBA. That's 7 players that were drafted in the NBA. The Duke team that lost to UCONN is still one of the top 3 teams (obviously just my opinion) over the past 20 years. Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Corey Maggette, Will Avery, Trajan Langdon, Chris Carrawell and Nate James. That team had 5 first round nba draft picks and 1 second round pick. They also had Chris Burgess who was the national high school player of the year (i think he ended his career playing for Majerus at Utah). My top 5 teams since 1990 would be:
1) UNLV 1990
2) Duke 1999
3) UNC 2009
4) Duke 2001
5) Kentucky 1996

 

[Pewterschmidt]

I think the '01 Duke team was more talented than the '99 team. PG play alone trumps '99 as Jay Williams >>>>>>>> William Avery

Shane Battier
Jay Williams
Mike Dunlevey
Chris Duhon
Carlos Boozer
Nate James (3rd team all-ACC that year)

However, the 1992 Duke team was the best. All that experience and 7 NBA players. They have to be on your list.

Also, '07 Florida Gators - I'd take them over the '09 heels.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

UNLV 1990-91, IU 1975-76, UCLA 1968-69 And 1973-74, UK 1978 An 1996

The best Div I teams I ever saw.

 

[alpinegopher]

I think the fix was in.

Didn't Hightower call a charge on Greg Anthony to foul him out with a few minutes left? Brutal call!


Larry Johnson passed up an open 3 with under a minute left also. Just seemed fishy.

 

[GopherGold24]

pewter, you are right....duke 92 has to be on list...not sure what i was thinking....i still like unc over florida though

 

[josh087]

Wait a minute.....wait a sec....hold on here....

So 1992 Duke is one of the best teams of all time, but 1991 Duke (at the very end of that 1991 season) couldn't beat their opponent without the ref's help?????

Is that what you're sticking to here?

UNLV was the clear favorite that day, no doubt. But don't pretend that the game had to be fixed for Duke to win. That Duke team was plenty good.

If Chamanade can beat Maryland and George Mason can get to the final four, then surely a team with 7 future NBA players has a legitimate chance to beat their opponent.