# 1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team

The 1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cavaliers were led by 14th-year head coach Debbie Ryan, and played their home games at University Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia as members the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In contrast to the prior season when the Cavaliers reached the Final Four, this Virginia squad was considered one of the favorites to win the National championship. The Lady Cavs opened play as the No. 1 ranked team and only occupied that spot or the No. 2 spot for the entirety of the season. They swept through ACC play at 14–0, but lost in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to Clemson. Despite the loss, UVA received the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA tournament. Virginia defeated Stephen F. Austin, Oklahoma State, and Lamar to make a return trip to the Final Four. A victory over UConn in the National semifinals set up a matchup with Tennessee in the National championship game. The Lady Vols, led by legendary head coach Pat Summitt defeated Virginia, 70–67, to capture the title. The Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 31–3.
Junior Dawn Staley established the single-season school record for assists with 235. Staley was consensus National Player of the Year and is the only player to be named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament when her team did not win the championship.

## Schedule

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 28, 1990* | No. 1 | Virginia Tech | W 93–44 | 2–0 | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan 3, 1991* | No. 1 | No. 4 Penn State | L 71–73 | 11–1 | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan 12, 1991 | No. 2 | at No. 3 NC State | W 123–120 $^{3OT}$ | 14–1 (3–0) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| February 23, 1991 | No. 1 | No. 7 NC State | W 95–78 | 26–1 (14–0) | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| ACC tournament ||||||
| March 2, 1991* | No. 1 | vs. North Carolina Quarterfinals | W 90–69 | 27–1 | Civic Center Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| March 3, 1991* | No. 1 | vs. Clemson Semifinals | L 62–65 | 27–2 | Civic Center Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 17, 1991* | No. 2 | vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin Second round | W 74–71 | 28–2 | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| March 21, 1991* | No. 2 | vs. No. 25 Oklahoma State Midwest Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 76–61 | 29–2 | Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas |
| March 23, 1991* | No. 2 | vs. No. 24 Lamar Midwest Regional Final – Elite Eight | W 85–70 | 30–2 | Frank Erwin Center (5,259) Austin, Texas |
| March 30, 1991* | No. 2 | vs. No. 13 UConn National Semifinal – Final Four | W 61–55 | 31–2 | Lakefront Arena New Orleans, Louisiana |
| March 31, 1991* | No. 2 | vs. No. 4 Tennessee National Championship | L 67–70 | 31–3 | Lakefront Arena New Orleans, Louisiana |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Not released |
| Coaches | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |

## Awards and honors

* Dawn Staley – ACC Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, WBCA Player of the Year, Honda Sports Award
* Debbie Ryan – ACC Coach of the Year, Naismith College Coach of the Year