# 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division I men's basketball national champion for the 1989-1990 season. It began on March 15, 1990, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Denver, Colorado. A total of 63 games were played.
UNLV won the national title with a 103–73 victory in the final game over Duke. In doing so, UNLV set the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament record for largest margin of victory in a championship game. UNLV's championship win marks the last time a school from a non-power conference has won the tournament. Anderson Hunt of UNLV was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
This tournament is also remembered for an emotional run by the Loyola Marymount Lions (LMU) in the West region. In the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament against the Portland Pilots, Lions star forward Hank Gathers collapsed and died due to a heart condition. The WCC tournament was immediately suspended and LMU, the regular-season champion, was given the conference's automatic bid to the tournament. The team defeated New Mexico State, then laid a 34-point thrashing on defending national champion Michigan, and defeated Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen (the only game in which LMU did not score 100 or more points in the tournament) before running into eventual champion UNLV in the regional final. Gathers' childhood friend, Bo Kimble, the team's undisputed floor leader in the wake of the tragedy, paid tribute to his friend by attempting his first free throw in each game left-handed despite being right-handed (Gathers was right-handed, but struggled so much with free throws that he tried shooting them left-handed for a time.) Kimble made all of his left-handed attempts in the tournament.
The tournament employed a new timing system borrowed from FIBA & the NBA: when the game was played in an NBA arena, the final minute of the period is measured in tenths-seconds, rather than whole seconds as in previous years.

## Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1990 tournament, and their host(s):
First and Second Rounds
* March 15 and 17
** East Region
*** Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
** Midwest Region
*** Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas at Austin)
** Southeast Region
*** Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee)
** West Region
*** Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
* March 16 and 18
** East Region
*** Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Tech)
** Midwest Region
*** Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Butler University, Midwestern Collegiate Conference)
** Southeast Region
*** Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia (Hosts: University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University)
** West Region
*** Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California (Host: Long Beach State University)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
* March 22 and 24
** East Regional, Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey (Hosts: Seton Hall University, Big East Conference)
** Midwest Regional, Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas (Host: Southwest Conference)
* March 23 and 25
** Southeast Regional, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana (Hosts: Tulane University, University of New Orleans)
** West Regional, Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California (Host: University of California, Berkeley)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
* March 31 and April 2
** McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado (Hosts: University of Colorado Boulder, Big 8 Conference)

## Teams

| Region | Seed | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
| East ||||||||
| East | 1 | Connecticut | Jim Calhoun | Big East | Elite 8 | 3 Duke | L 79–78 |
| East | 2 | Kansas | Roy Williams | Big Eight | Round of 32 | 7 UCLA | L 71–70 |
| East | 3 | Duke | Mike Krzyzewski | Atlantic Coast | National Runner Up | 1 UNLV | L 103–73 |
| East | 4 | La Salle | Speedy Morris | Metro Atlantic | Round of 32 | 5 Clemson | L 79–75 |
| East | 5 | Clemson | Cliff Ellis | Atlantic Coast | Sweet Sixteen | 1 Connecticut | L 71–70 |
| East | 6 | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Big East | Round of 32 | 3 Duke | L 76–72 |
| East | 7 | UCLA | Jim Harrick | Pacific-10 | Sweet Sixteen | 3 Duke | L 90–81 |
| East | 8 | Indiana | Bob Knight | Big Ten | Round of 64 | 9 California | L 65–63 |
| East | 9 | California | Lou Campanelli | Pacific-10 | Round of 32 | 1 Connecticut | L 74–54 |
| East | 10 | UAB | Gene Bartow | Sun Belt | Round of 64 | 7 UCLA | L 68–56 |
| East | 11 | Temple | John Chaney | Atlantic 10 | Round of 64 | 6 St. John's | L 81–65 |
| East | 12 | BYU | Roger Reid | Western Athletic | Round of 64 | 5 Clemson | L 49–47 |
| East | 13 | Southern Miss | M.K. Turk | Metro | Round of 64 | 4 La Salle | L 79–63 |
| East | 14 | Richmond | Dick Tarrant | Colonial | Round of 64 | 3 Duke | L 81–46 |
| East | 15 | Robert Morris | Jarrett Durham | Northeast | Round of 64 | 2 Kansas | L 79–71 |
| East | 16 | Boston University | Mike Jarvis | North Atlantic | Round of 64 | 1 Connecticut | L 76–52 |
| Midwest ||||||||
| Midwest | 1 | Oklahoma | Billy Tubbs | Big Eight | Round of 32 | 8 North Carolina | L 79–77 |
| Midwest | 2 | Purdue | Gene Keady | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 10 Texas | L 73–72 |
| Midwest | 3 | Georgetown | John Thompson | Big East | Round of 32 | 6 Xavier | L 74–71 |
| Midwest | 4 | Arkansas | Nolan Richardson | Southwest | National semifinals | 3 Duke | L 97–83 |
| Midwest | 5 | Illinois | Lou Henson | Big Ten | Round of 64 | 12 Dayton | L 88–86 |
| Midwest | 6 | Xavier | Pete Gillen | Midwestern | Sweet Sixteen | 10 Texas | L 102–89 |
| Midwest | 7 | Georgia | Hugh Durham | Southeastern | Round of 64 | 10 Texas | L 100–88 |
| Midwest | 8 | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast | Sweet Sixteen | 4 Arkansas | L 96–73 |
| Midwest | 9 | Southwest Missouri State | Charlie Spoonhour | Mid-Continent | Round of 64 | 8 North Carolina | L 83–70 |
| Midwest | 10 | Texas | Tom Penders | Southwest | Elite 8 | 4 Arkansas | L 88–85 |
| Midwest | 11 | Kansas State | Lon Kruger | Big Eight | Round of 64 | 6 Xavier | L 87–79 |
| Midwest | 12 | Dayton | Jim O'Brien | Midwestern | Round of 32 | 4 Arkansas | L 86–84 |
| Midwest | 13 | Princeton | Pete Carril | Ivy League | Round of 64 | 4 Arkansas | L 68–64 |
| Midwest | 14 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | Southwest Athletic | Round of 64 | 3 Georgetown | L 70–52 |
| Midwest | 15 | Northeast Louisiana | Mike Vining | Southland | Round of 64 | 2 Purdue | L 75–63 |
| Midwest | 16 | Towson State | Terry Truax | East Coast | Round of 64 | 1 Oklahoma | L 77–68 |
| Southeast ||||||||
| Southeast | 1 | Michigan State | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten | Sweet Sixteen | 4 Georgia Tech | L 81–80 |
| Southeast | 2 | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim | Big East | Sweet Sixteen | 6 Minnesota | L 82–75 |
| Southeast | 3 | Missouri | Norm Stewart | Big Eight | Round of 64 | 14 Northern Iowa | L 74–71 |
| Southeast | 4 | Georgia Tech | Bobby Cremins | Atlantic Coast | National semifinals | 1 UNLV | L 90–81 |
| Southeast | 5 | LSU | Dale Brown | Southeastern | Round of 32 | 4 Georgia Tech | L 94–91 |
| Southeast | 6 | Minnesota | Clem Haskins | Big Ten | Elite 8 | 4 Georgia Tech | L 93–91 |
| Southeast | 7 | Virginia | Terry Holland | Atlantic Coast | Round of 32 | 2 Syracuse | L 63–61 |
| Southeast | 8 | Houston | Pat Foster | Southwest | Round of 64 | 9 UC Santa Barbara | L 70–66 |
| Southeast | 9 | UC Santa Barbara | Jerry Pimm | Big West | Round of 32 | 1 Michigan State | L 62–58 |
| Southeast | 10 | Notre Dame | Digger Phelps | Independent | Round of 64 | 7 Virginia | L 75–67 |
| Southeast | 11 | UTEP | Don Haskins | Western Athletic | Round of 64 | 6 Minnesota | L 64–61 |
| Southeast | 12 | Villanova | Rollie Massimino | Big East | Round of 64 | 5 LSU | L 70–63 |
| Southeast | 13 | East Tennessee State | Les Robinson | Southern | Round of 64 | 4 Georgia Tech | L 99–83 |
| Southeast | 14 | Northern Iowa | Eldon Miller | Mid-Continent | Round of 32 | 6 Minnesota | L 81–78 |
| Southeast | 15 | Coppin State | Ron Mitchell | Mid-Eastern | Round of 64 | 2 Syracuse | L 70–48 |
| Southeast | 16 | Murray State | Steve Newton | Ohio Valley | Round of 64 | 1 Michigan State | L 75–71 |
| West ||||||||
| West | 1 | UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian | Big West | Champion | 3 Duke | W 103–73 |
| West | 2 | Arizona | Lute Olson | Pacific-10 | Round of 32 | 7 Alabama | L 77–55 |
| West | 3 | Michigan | Steve Fisher | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 11 Loyola Marymount | L 149–115 |
| West | 4 | Louisville | Denny Crum | Metro | Round of 32 | 12 Ball State | L 62–60 |
| West | 5 | Oregon State | Jim Anderson | Pacific-10 | Round of 64 | 12 Ball State | L 54–53 |
| West | 6 | New Mexico State | Neil McCarthy | Big West | Round of 64 | 11 Loyola Marymount | L 111–92 |
| West | 7 | Alabama | Wimp Sanderson | Southeastern | Sweet Sixteen | 11 Loyola Marymount | L 62–60 |
| West | 8 | Ohio State | Randy Ayers | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 1 UNLV | L 76–65 |
| West | 9 | Providence | Rick Barnes | Big East | Round of 64 | 8 Ohio State | L 84–83 |
| West | 10 | Colorado State | Boyd Grant | Western Athletic | Round of 64 | 7 Alabama | L 71–54 |
| West | 11 | Loyola Marymount | Paul Westhead | West Coast | Elite 8 | 1 UNLV | L 131–101 |
| West | 12 | Ball State | Dick Hunsaker | Mid-American | Sweet Sixteen | 1 UNLV | L 69–67 |
| West | 13 | Idaho | Kermit Davis | Big Sky | Round of 64 | 4 Louisville | L 78–59 |
| West | 14 | Illinois State | Bob Bender | Missouri Valley | Round of 64 | 3 Michigan | L 76–70 |
| West | 15 | South Florida | Bobby Paschal | Sun Belt | Round of 64 | 2 Arizona | L 79–67 |
| West | 16 | Little Rock | Mike Newell | Trans America | Round of 64 | 1 UNLV | L 102–72 |

## Bracket
### East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

| First round | First round | First round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional Final | Regional Final | Regional Final |
| 1 | Connecticut | 76 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Boston University | 52 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Boston University | 52 | 1 | Connecticut | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Hartford | Hartford | Hartford | 1 | Connecticut | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Hartford | Hartford | Hartford | 9 | California | 54 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Indiana | 63 | 9 | California | 54 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | California | 65 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | California | 65 | | | | 1 | Connecticut | 71 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Clemson | 70 | | | | |
| 5 | Clemson | 49 | | | | | | | 5 | Clemson | 70 | | | | |
| 12 | BYU | 47 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | BYU | 47 | 5 | Clemson | 79 | | | | | | | |
| Hartford | Hartford | Hartford | 5 | Clemson | 79 | | | | | | | |
| Hartford | Hartford | Hartford | 4 | La Salle | 75 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | La Salle | 79 | 4 | La Salle | 75 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Southern Miss | 63 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Southern Miss | 63 | | | | | | | | 1 | Connecticut | 78 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Duke | 79$^{OT}$ |
| 6 | St. John's | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Duke | 79$^{OT}$ |
| 11 | Temple | 65 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Temple | 65 | 6 | St. John's | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | 6 | St. John's | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | 3 | Duke | 76 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Duke | 81 | 3 | Duke | 76 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Richmond | 46 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Richmond | 46 | | | | 3 | Duke | 90 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | UCLA | 81 | | | | |
| 7 | UCLA | 68 | | | | | | | 7 | UCLA | 81 | | | | |
| 10 | UAB | 56 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | UAB | 56 | 7 | UCLA | 71 | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | 7 | UCLA | 71 | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | 2 | Kansas | 70 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Kansas | 79 | 2 | Kansas | 70 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Robert Morris | 71 | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Regional Final summary

* CBS
* Saturday, March 24
* box score
#3 Duke Blue Devils 79, #1 Connecticut Huskies 78 (OT) :
| Pts: A. Abdelnaby 27 Rebs: A. Abdelnaby 14 Asts: B. Hurley 8 | Pts: J. Gwynn, N. Henefeld 15 Rebs: N. Henefeld 6 Asts: C. Smith 5 Halftime Score: Duke, 37–30 End of Regulation: 72–72 |
* Brendan Byrne Arena – East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,546

### Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

| First round | First round | First round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional Final | Regional Final | Regional Final |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 77 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Towson State | 68 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Towson State | 68 | 1 | Oklahoma | 77 | | | | | | | |
| Austin | Austin | Austin | 1 | Oklahoma | 77 | | | | | | | |
| Austin | Austin | Austin | 8 | North Carolina | 79 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | North Carolina | 83 | 8 | North Carolina | 79 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | SW Missouri State | 70 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | SW Missouri State | 70 | | | | 8 | North Carolina | 73 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Arkansas | 96 | | | | |
| 5 | Illinois | 86 | | | | | | | 4 | Arkansas | 96 | | | | |
| 12 | Dayton | 88 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Dayton | 88 | 12 | Dayton | 84 | | | | | | | |
| Austin | Austin | Austin | 12 | Dayton | 84 | | | | | | | |
| Austin | Austin | Austin | 4 | Arkansas | 86 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Arkansas | 68 | 4 | Arkansas | 86 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Princeton | 64 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Princeton | 64 | | | | | | | | 4 | Arkansas | 88 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 10 | Texas | 85 |
| 6 | Xavier | 87 | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | Texas | 85 |
| 11 | Kansas State | 79 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Kansas State | 79 | 6 | Xavier | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 6 | Xavier | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 3 | Georgetown | 71 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Georgetown | 70 | 3 | Georgetown | 71 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Texas Southern | 52 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Texas Southern | 52 | | | | 6 | Xavier | 89 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 10 | Texas | 102 | | | | |
| 7 | Georgia | 88 | | | | | | | 10 | Texas | 102 | | | | |
| 10 | Texas | 100 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Texas | 100 | 10 | Texas | 73 | | | | | | | |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 10 | Texas | 73 | | | | | | | |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 2 | Purdue | 72 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Purdue | 75 | 2 | Purdue | 72 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Northeast Louisiana | 63 | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Regional Final summary

* CBS
* Saturday, March 24
* box score
#4 Arkansas Razorbacks 88, #10 Texas Longhorns 85 :
| Pts: L. Howell 21 Rebs: L. Howell, O. Miller 9 Asts: L. Mayberry 7 | Pts: J. Wright, T. Mays 20 Rebs: L. Collie 14 Asts: T. Mays 5 Halftime Score: Arkansas, 43–36 |
* Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas Attendance: 16,413

### Southeast Regional – New Orleans, Louisiana

| First round | First round | First round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional Final | Regional Final | Regional Final |
| 1 | Michigan State | 75$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Murray State | 71 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Murray State | 71 | 1 | Michigan State | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | Knoxville | 1 | Michigan State | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | Knoxville | 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 58 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Houston | 66 | 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 58 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 70 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 70 | | | | 1 | Michigan State | 80 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Georgia Tech | 81$^{OT}$ | | | | |
| 5 | LSU | 70 | | | | | | | 4 | Georgia Tech | 81$^{OT}$ | | | | |
| 12 | Villanova | 63 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Villanova | 63 | 5 | LSU | 91 | | | | | | | |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | Knoxville | 5 | LSU | 91 | | | | | | | |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | Knoxville | 4 | Georgia Tech | 94 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Georgia Tech | 99 | 4 | Georgia Tech | 94 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | East Tennessee State | 83 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | East Tennessee State | 83 | | | | | | | | 4 | Georgia Tech | 93 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Minnesota | 91 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 64$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Minnesota | 91 |
| 11 | UTEP | 61 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | UTEP | 61 | 6 | Minnesota | 81 | | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Richmond | 6 | Minnesota | 81 | | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Richmond | 14 | Northern Iowa | 78 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Missouri | 71 | 14 | Northern Iowa | 78 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Northern Iowa | 74 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Northern Iowa | 74 | | | | 6 | Minnesota | 82 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Syracuse | 75 | | | | |
| 7 | Virginia | 75 | | | | | | | 2 | Syracuse | 75 | | | | |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 67 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 67 | 7 | Virginia | 61 | | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Richmond | 7 | Virginia | 61 | | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | Richmond | 2 | Syracuse | 63 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Syracuse | 70 | 2 | Syracuse | 63 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Coppin State | 48 | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Regional Final summary

* CBS
* Sunday, March 25
* box score
#4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 93, #6 Minnesota Golden Gophers 91 :
| Pts: D. Scott 40 Rebs: K. Anderson 8 Asts: K. Anderson 3 | Pts: W. Burton 35 Rebs: R. Coffey 9 Asts: M. Newbern 6 Halftime Score: Minnesota, 49–47 |
* Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans Attendance: 17,782

### West Regional – Oakland, California

| First round | First round | First round | Second Round | Second Round | Second Round | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | | Regional Final | Regional Final | Regional Final |
| 1 | UNLV | 102 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Arkansas–Little Rock | 72 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Arkansas–Little Rock | 72 | 1 | UNLV | 76 | | | | | | | |
| Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | 1 | UNLV | 76 | | | | | | | |
| Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | 8 | Ohio State | 65 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Ohio State | 84$^{OT}$ | 8 | Ohio State | 65 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Providence | 83 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Providence | 83 | | | | 1 | UNLV | 69 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 12 | Ball State | 67 | | | | |
| 5 | Oregon State | 53 | | | | | | | 12 | Ball State | 67 | | | | |
| 12 | Ball State | 54 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Ball State | 54 | 12 | Ball State | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | 12 | Ball State | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City | 4 | Louisville | 60 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Louisville | 78 | 4 | Louisville | 60 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Idaho | 59 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Idaho | 59 | | | | | | | | 1 | UNLV | 131 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 11 | Loyola Marymount | 101 |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 92 | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | Loyola Marymount | 101 |
| 11 | Loyola Marymount | 111 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Loyola Marymount | 111 | 11 | Loyola Marymount | 149 | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach | Long Beach | Long Beach | 11 | Loyola Marymount | 149 | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach | Long Beach | Long Beach | 3 | Michigan | 115 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Michigan | 76 | 3 | Michigan | 115 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Illinois State | 70 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Illinois State | 70 | | | | 11 | Loyola Marymount | 62 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Alabama | 60 | | | | |
| 7 | Alabama | 71 | | | | | | | 7 | Alabama | 60 | | | | |
| 10 | Colorado State | 54 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Colorado State | 54 | 7 | Alabama | 77 | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach | Long Beach | Long Beach | 7 | Alabama | 77 | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach | Long Beach | Long Beach | 2 | Arizona | 55 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Arizona | 79 | 2 | Arizona | 55 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | South Florida | 67 | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Regional Final summary

* CBS
* Sunday, March 25
* box score
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 131, #11 Loyola Marymount Lions 101 :
| Pts: S. Augmon 33 Rebs: L. Johnson 18 Asts: A. Hunt 13 | Pts: B. Kimble 42 Rebs: B. Kimble 11 Asts: T. Lowery 6 Halftime Score: UNLV, 67–47 |
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena – Oakland, California Attendance: 14,298

### Final Four – Denver, Colorado

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National Championship Game | National Championship Game | National Championship Game |
| E3 | Duke | 97 | | | |
| MW4 | Arkansas | 83 | | | |
| MW4 | Arkansas | 83 | E3 | Duke | 73 |
| | | | W1 | UNLV | 103 |
| SE4 | Georgia Tech | 81 | W1 | UNLV | 103 |
| W1 | UNLV | 90 | | | |

### Game summaries

* CBS
* March 31
* box score
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 90, #4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 81 :
| Pts: S. Augmon 22 Rebs: M. Scurry 11 Asts: A. Hunt 7 | Pts: D. Scott 29 Rebs: J. McNeil 9 Asts: K. Anderson 8 Halftime Score: Georgia Tech 53–46 |
* McNichols Arena – Denver Attendance: 17,675 Referees: Jim Bain, Dick Paparo, Jim Stupin
* CBS
* March 31
* box score
#3 Duke Blue Devils 97, #4 Arkansas Razorbacks 83 :
| Pts: P. Henderson 28 Rebs: C. Laettner 14 Asts: B. Hurley 6 | Pts: T. Day 27 Rebs: T. Day 7 Asts: L. Mayberry 6 Halftime Score: Duke, 46–43 |
* McNichols Arena – Denver Attendance: 17,675 Referees: Gerry Donaghy, Jim Burr, Frank Bosone

### National Championship

* CBS
* April 2
* Box score
#1 UNLV Runnin' Rebels 103, #3 Duke Blue Devils 73 :
| Pts: A. Hunt 29 Rebs: L. Johnson 11 Asts: S. Augmon 7 | Pts: P. Henderson 21 Rebs: C. Laettner 9 Asts: C. Laettner 5 Halftime Score: UNLV, 47–35 |
* McNichols Arena – Denver Attendance: 17,675 Referees: Ed Hightower, Richie Ballesteros and Tim Higgins

## Announcers
### CBS

CBS and NCAA Productions broadcast all tournament games.
* Jim Nantz and James Brown served as hosts for the first-round games, while Mike Francesca served as analyst for the remaining rounds of the tournament.
* Brent Musburger and Billy Packer – First round (Ohio State–Providence) at Salt Lake City, Utah; Second Round at Austin, Texas and Richmond, Virginia; West Regional at Oakland, California; Final Four at Denver, Colorado. Musburger's final games for CBS.
* Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown – Second Round at Atlanta, Georgia; East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey
* James Brown and Bill Raftery – Second Round at Hartford, Connecticut and Indianapolis, Indiana; Midwest Regional at Dallas, Texas
* Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner – First round (New Mexico State–Loyola-Marymount) and Second Round at Long Beach, California; Southeast Regional at New Orleans, Louisiana
* Brad Nessler and Tom Heinsohn – Second Round at Knoxville, Tennessee
* Tim Brant and Len Elmore – Second Round at Salt Lake City, Utah

### ESPN/NCAA Productions

This would be the last year that ESPN would be involved in broadcasting games of the tournament, as CBS took over exclusive coverage of the tournament the following year.
* Bob Carpenter and Clark Kellogg – First round (Indiana–California, Clemson–Brigham Young) at Hartford, Connecticut
* Mike Gorman and Ron Perry – First round (La Salle–Southern Mississippi) at Hartford, Connecticut
* Fred White and Larry Conley – First round (St. John's–Temple, Kansas–Robert Morris) at Atlanta, Georgia
* Ralph Hacker and Dan Belluomini – First round (UCLA–UAB) at Atlanta, Georgia
* Ron Franklin and Bob Ortegel – First round (North Carolina–SW Missouri State, Arkansas–Princeton) at Austin, Texas
* Frank Fallon and Jack Corrigan - First Round (Dayton-Illinois) at Austin, Texas
* Tom Hammond and Gary Thompson – First round (Georgetown–Texas Southern, Georgia–Texas) at Indianapolis, Indiana
* Mick Hubert and Jim Gibbons – First round (Xavier–Kansas State) at Indianapolis, Indiana; First round (Arizona–South Florida) at Long Beach, California
* Mike Patrick and Dan Bonner – First round (Missouri–Northern Iowa, Syracuse–Coppin State) at Richmond, Virginia
* Bob Rathbun and Bucky Waters – First round (Minnesota–UTEP) at Richmond, Virginia
* Bob Rathbun and Mimi Griffin – First round (Virginia–Notre Dame) at Richmond, Virginia
* John Sanders and Bruce Larson – First round (UNLV–Arkansas-Little Rock, Oregon State–Ball State) at Salt Lake City, Utah
* John Rooney and Bob Weltlich - First Round (Michigan St-Murray State, LSU-Villanova) at Knoxville, Tennessee
* Brad Nessler and Jack Givens - First Round (USCB-Houston, Georgia Tech-East Tennessee State) at Knoxville, Tennessee
* John Sanders and Len Elmore – First round (Louisville–Idaho) at Salt Lake City, Utah
* Barry Tompkins and Mike Rice – First round (Alabama–Colorado State, Michigan–Illinois State) at Long Beach, California

## Tournament notes

* Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer made 11 of his 15 three-point attempts against Michigan to set the NCAA tournament record.
* Loyola Marymount's 149–115 win over Michigan set a new tournament record for most combined points (264).
* UNLV at the time had the largest accumulated victory margin (112 points), over the entire tournament by a championship team that played 6 games. To date, it is the fifth-largest.
* UNLV's 103–73 win over Duke marked the first, (and to date, only), time in the history of the tournament that at least 100 points were scored by one team in the championship game.
* UNLV's 571 points over six games set the record for most points scored by a single team in any one year of the tournament.
* UNLV is the only team in tournament history to average more than 95 points per game, over six games. In six tournament games, they won three by exactly 30 points, while scoring more than 100 points in each 30-point victory.
* UNLV and UCLA in 1965 are the only teams in tournament history to win three games all while scoring at least 100 points in each win. (Loyola Marymount also scored at least 100 points in three games in the 1990 tournament, but lost their last game, where they scored 101 points, to UNLV, by 30 points. UNLV also scored at least 100 points in three victories in the 1977 tournament, but their last one was in the Final Four consolation game.)
* UNLV's 30-point margin of victory in the championship game is also a tournament record. ESPN called it the 36th “worst blowout in sports history.”
* To date, UNLV remains the last team from a non-power conference (AAC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) to win the national championship, since Louisville in 1986. (Louisville was in The Metro Conference in 1986, which was considered a major basketball conference throughout its history, 1975 - 1995.)
* The championship game was UNLV's eleventh consecutive win. They would eventually run the win streak to 45 games. That is the fourth-longest win streak in NCAA Division I basketball history, and the longest win streak since the longest ever, by UCLA from 1971-1974.