Duke captured the first NCAA championship in school history by beating Kansas in an anti-climatic final after getting revenge against the defending champions UNLV in a rematch of the 1990 final, where the Blue Devils were blown out by 30 points. Christian Laettner won Most Outstanding Player honors.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the sixth consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 14 to April 1, 1991 with the Final Four being played in the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Duke No. 2 In Midwest Behind Ohio State
Mike Krzyzewski's Duke was given a second seed in the Midwest region behind Ohio State. The Blue Devils blasted past Northeast Louisiana 102-73 in the first round. Duke then notched double-digit wins in the next three games to reach the Final Four, beating Iowa 85-70 in the second round, Connecticut 91-67 in the Sweet Sixteen and St. John's 78-61 in the Elite Eight.
First No. 15 To Beat No. 2 Seed
The 1991 tournament saw the biggest upset in terms of seedings as No. 15 Richmond knocked off No. 2 Syracuse 73-69 - a feat which has happened four times in tournament history as of 2009. The tournament was also full of other upsets, especially in the East region were the ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 15th seeds all won and two 11 seeds and a No. 14 all advanced as well. The Sweet Sixteen also included a 10 seed (Temple), 11 (Connecticut) and a 12 seed (Eastern Michigan). Temple even reached the East region final by beating No. 3 seed Oklahoma State before losing to North Carolina.
Duke, Two No. 1s, Kansas In Final Four
Duke was joined in the Final Four in Indianapolis by undefeated defending champion UNLV - the No. 1 seed from the West; Dean Smith's No. 1 East seed North Carolina; and Southeast No. 3 seed Kansas, which beat top-seeded Arkansas in the regional final.
Duke Gets Revenge For 1990 Final
With the core of the 1990 final drubbing back plus sensational freshman Grant Hill, Duke pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history by smashing UNLV's hopes of becoming the first team since Indiana in 1976 to go undefeated in winning the title. UNLV was the last team as of 2009 to enter the NCAAs undefeated. Christian Laettner scored 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 79-77 victory. In the other semifinal, Kansas knocked off North Carolina 79-73 as Kansas coach Roy Williams bested the legendary Dean Smith, for whom he long served as an assistant.
Laettner Too Much In Final
Laettner and an energized Duke were just too much for the Jayhawks, who saw Laettner collect 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-65 Duke title winner.
