The 1991 Road to Final Four - come along for a retrotour!

[dukelifer]

Doesn't look like Duke has a chance in this one against UNLV. UNLV are men among boys. I think it's more likely that UNC loses to Kansas and Dean Smith gets ejected from the game than Duke beats UNLV.
Next year though, Duke should have a fighting chance to get the monkey off their back if they aren't too devastated by two consecutive losses to UNLV. Maybe we can keep it close this year and score the moral victory.

If Duke loses- the run is over. Michigan has the best recruiting class ever and they will probably be the team to beat for the next few years. This is getting to be too much. I am not sure Duke will ever win one. Even Dean Smith only has one and he barely won that.

[House P]

Michigan has the best recruiting class ever and they will probably be the team to beat for the next few years.

Yeah, you couldn't buy a better incoming class than Michigan's. Hard to see Duke beating them anytime in the next 4 years. Can you imagine how good Michigan is going to be when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, and Juwan Howard are Seniors!

[Tripping William]

Doesn't look like Duke has a chance in this one against UNLV. UNLV are men among boys. I think it's more likely that UNC loses to Kansas and Dean Smith gets ejected from the game than Duke beats UNLV.
Next year though, Duke should have a fighting chance to get the monkey off their back if they aren't too devastated by two consecutive losses to UNLV. Maybe we can keep it close this year and score the moral victory.

If Duke loses- the run is over. Michigan has the best recruiting class ever and they will probably be the team to beat for the next few years. This is getting to be too much. I am not sure Duke will ever win one. Even Dean Smith only has one and he barely won that.

Yeah, you couldn't buy a better incoming class than Michigan's. Hard to see Duke beating them anytime in the next 4 years. Can you imagine how good Michigan is going to be when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, and Juwan Howard are Seniors!

+1 to all of this. As I mentioned previously, there's a better chance of Bill Guthridge fist-fighting a ref than there is of Duke beating UNLV (let alone following that by winning back-to-back natties, and owning the Fab Five).

[DU82]

Yeah, you couldn't buy a better incoming class than Michigan's. Hard to see Duke beating them anytime in the next 4 years. Can you imagine how good Michigan is going to be when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, and Juwan Howard are Seniors!

Returning from Pontiac last weekend (in 1991), Chris Webber was on the plane, heading to an awards show somewhere in the Triangle (don’t remember the specifics.). I joked with him, asking if he had reconsidered going to a Michigan so quickly. He was good natured and politely laughed.

Not looking forward to the drive to Indy tomorrow. Weather is iffy, with rain and possible flurries on the route.

[brevity]

If Duke loses- the run is over. Michigan has the best recruiting class ever and they will probably be the team to beat for the next few years. This is getting to be too much. I am not sure Duke will ever win one. Even Dean Smith only has one and he barely won that.

Look, Michigan has a historic incoming class -- they just need a snappy nickname, like "The Fiverines" -- but how many of them are going to make an impact as a freshman or sophomore? After this Final Four, Duke has a 2-year window before Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill, and Billy McCaffrey graduate. (Then we'll see who Duke has to support the senior campaigns of Grant Hill, Antonio Lang, Marty Clark, and Christian Ast.)

Yeah, you couldn't buy a better incoming class than Michigan's.

It's crazy, I recently had a conversation about this very subject with my next door neighbor, Mr. Martin, and he said the same thing. I told him, "Ed, this isn't the pros. You can't give high school players money to play college ball." I assume he was joking.

[Stray Gator]

Doesn't look like Duke has a chance in this one against UNLV. UNLV are men among boys. I think it's more likely that UNC loses to Kansas and Dean Smith gets ejected from the game than Duke beats UNLV.
Next year though, Duke should have a fighting chance to get the monkey off their back if they aren't too devastated by two consecutive losses to UNLV. Maybe we can keep it close this year and score the moral victory.

The silver lining in this situation is that, with no one giving the Blue Devils a chance against UNLV, I was able to score a pair of ticket books simply by calling the Duke Ticket Office, even though I'm just an ordinary alumnus! Evidently, the Iron Dukes had so little demand that there were ticket books remaining out of Duke's allocation for sale to alumni who are not members of the Iron Dukes. And our seats are in the lower level at the corner of the end zone! So even though I have no expectation of Duke getting past Vegas on Saturday night, the opportunity to see 3 blue blood programs along with the greatest team of our times going for back-to-back titles, plus the fact that it's being played in America's hoops hotbed, Indiana, convinced me that it was worth taking my 12-year-old son to our first Final Four. As long as Carolina doesn't win it, I'm sure we'll enjoy the experience . . .

[Tripping William]

Does anyone else have the sinking feeling that tomorrow could be the worst sports day ever? Even if both games were toss-ups (as if!), there'd be a 75% chance of a terrible outcome. Ugh.

[roywhite]

Woo-hoo! What a game.

Jim Sumner's game account is up. Loved the way the Blue Devils held Larry Johnson and Stacy Augmon in check. So many clutch plays.

[Tripping William]

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I have never been so happy to be wrong!

[jv001]

Woo-hoo! What a game.

Jim Sumner's game account is up. Loved the way the Blue Devils held Larry Johnson and Stacy Augmon in check. So many clutch plays.

Reading Jim's game account made tears come into these old blue eyes. What a game and I loved the recap from Jim. Thanks Mr. Sumner.

GoDuke!

[bullettoothtony]

Yeah that was outstanding jim... that was my freshman year at Duke and it brought back a lot of memories. Many thanks!

[wsb3]

I think the UNLV game is my favorite NCAAT game ever. I watched the game alone & I remember when it was over walking into my garage and unleashing repeated screams. My dog, Petra, laid in the floor and observed me carefully, perhaps wondering if her master had finally gone off the deep end.

[dukelifer]

So far a different player other than Laettner has had good game in each of the previous 4-

T Hill - 18 against Louisiana Monroe
G Hill - 14 pts 9 rebounds - Iowa
Koubek 18 pts against UConn
Hurley 20 points against St Johns

So if I would have to guess- I think Brian Davis plays much better than expected next game- UNLV is a physical team and this should be good for Davis. Just a feeling.

Holy cow! What a game. I thought it was over until Hurley hit that 3 with 2:14 left. What is the deal with Hunt. It seems that some players just play great against Duke- maybe one day they will say someone went “Anderson” against Duke- maybe not. I don’t want to toot my own horn for the prediction above- but what a game by Brian Davis! He was aggressive - hit tough shots and played great D on multiple players. But the layup and the FT with a minute to go- amazing. G Hill started great but made two boneheaded turnovers- but redeemed himself with the pass to Davis. That play at the end - with board by Laettner and two clutch FTs - K told the guys he would make them- K knows how to instill confidence. You watch, one day he will tell a guy to intentionally miss one at the end of the game to preserve a win and the player will do that too. But that last sequence by UNLV- what was that? Johnson was tentative- playing like he had 30 seconds left. What was he thinking? Wow. K trying to calm everyone down at the end and Hurley going nuts. I don’t know if Duke will have anything left for Monday but so great to knock of UNLV and to have UNC lose on the same night. I will worry about Kansas tomorrow!

[Tripping William]

Holy cow! What a game. I thought it was over until Hurley hit that 3 with 2:14 left. What is the deal with Hunt. It seems that some players just play great against Duke- maybe one day they will say someone went “Anderson” against Duke- maybe not. I don’t want to toot my own horn for the prediction above- but what a game by Brian Davis! He was aggressive - hit tough shots and played great D on multiple players. But the layup and the FT with a minute to go- amazing. G Hill started great but made two boneheaded turnovers- but redeemed himself with the pass to Davis. That play at the end - with board by Laettner and two clutch FTs - K told the guys he would make them- K knows how to instill confidence. You watch, one day he will tell a guy to intentionally miss one at the end of the game to preserve a win and the player will do that too. But that last sequence by UNLV- what was that? Johnson was tentative- playing like he had 30 seconds left. What was he thinking? Wow. K trying to calm everyone down at the end and Hurley going nuts. I don’t know if Duke will have anything left for Monday but so great to knock of UNLV and to have UNC lose on the same night. I will worry about Kansas tomorrow!

Did you see Greg Anthony pointing after he fouled out? I think it was in the direction of the KU coach, scouting from the stands. My amateur lip-reading caught, “I want that guy to eff up my son’s NBA career!”

[dukelifer]

Did you see Greg Anthony pointing after he fouled out? I think it was in the direction of the KU coach, scouting from the stands. My amateur lip-reading caught, “I want that guy to eff up my son’s NBA career!”

I don’t know about that but if he has a son- he is either going to UNLV or UNC- that guy hates Duke.

[roywhite]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...3-30-duke.html

Duke shoots nearly 52% against the vaunted Rebel Defense, and a clutch 81% from the FT line.
Huge edge to Duke in production from the bench.

[dukelifer]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...3-30-duke.html

Duke shoots nearly 52% against the vaunted Rebel Defense, and a clutch 81% from the FT line.
Huge edge to Duke in production from the bench.

Just a great overall game. Duke went toe to toe with them and never got intimidated. But UNLV was a great team.

[roywhite]

Just getting up Sunday morning March 31, 1991; a bit of a hangover

Wow, did I really see that?
Quick thoughts -- Hurley gets his revenge, Grant outplayed All-America Stacy Augmon, Laettner nothing but net on those last two free throws, how about Brian Davis?

And, oh yeah, Carolina goes down and El Deano gets ejected! Bwahahaha

[dukelifer]

Just getting up Sunday morning March 31, 1991; a bit of a hangover

Wow, did I really see that?
Quick thoughts -- Hurley gets his revenge, Grant outplayed All-America Stacy Augmon, Laettner nothing but net on those last two free throws, how about Brian Davis?

And, oh yeah, Carolina goes down and El Deano gets ejected! Bwahahaha

A few thoughts. G Hill is a difference maker but kid still seems to defer at times. I don’t think he knows how good he is. K realizes this and tried to get him going early. I expect he will do so on Monday. I am worried about Hurley- he played a ton of minutes and it is a quick turnaround and I am really worried about T Hill’s back. That is going to stiffen up on him. We may need to rely much more on McCaffrey on Monday.

[devilwood]

Roy was in his first yr at KU when we played the 102-77 game at Cameron. It was Ferry’s last home game and his number was retired before the game. When things got out of hand in the Second Half, the crowd chanted “Roy, call Dean!”