Nolan Richardson used his "40 Minutes of Hell" to guide Arkansas to its first NCAA crown with a 76-72 victory over Duke, which was playing its sixth Final Four in seven years and fourth final. Arkansas forward Corliss Williamson was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the ninth consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 17 to April 4, 1994 with the Final Four being played in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Arkansas No. 1 Seed in Midwest
Arkansas was seeded No. 1 in the Midwest region and streaked to the Final Four. The Razorbacks beat North Carolina A&T 94-79 in the first round, Georgetown 85-73 in the second round and Tulsa 103-84 in the Sweet Sixteen. In the Elite Eight, Arkansas held off Michigan 76-68 to reach the Final Four.
UNC Upset, Sweet 16 Streak Snapped
Despite having nearly everybody back from the 1993 title team and adding Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, reigning champion and top-ranked North Carolina was upset 75-72 by Boston College in the second round of the East regional. The loss snapped the Tar Heels' streak of consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances at 13.
Arkansas Only No. 1 Seed In Final Four
Richardson's Razorbacks was the only No. 1 seed to reach the national semifinals, being joined by No. 2 Duke from the Southeast; West No. 2 seed Arizona, making its second Final Four (after 1988); and East No. 3 seed Florida, making its first ever Final Four.
Williamson Too Much For Arizona
In the national semifinals, Corliss Williamson collected 29 points and 13 rebounds as Arkansas proved too much for Arizona in grabbing a 91-82 victory. Duke and Grant Hill were too experienced and reached the final by getting past Florida 70-65.
Thurman Triple Gives Arkansas Title
Despite his team getting a lack of respect throughout the tournament, Nolan Richardson's men got the job done in the final - a rematch of the 1990 semifinals won by Duke. Grant Hill helped keep Duke close throughout the game. The contest was knotted at 70 with 52 seconds left when Scotty Thurman hit a high three-pointer to push the Razorbacks to the title. Thurman finished with 15 points while Williamson had 23 points and eight rebounds.
Richardson Grabs Historic Title
The win was a historic one for Richardson, who came to Arkansas in 1985. Richardson became the first head coach to win a Junior College National Championship, the NIT, and the NCAA Tournament.
