# 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1990 and ended with the Final Four at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 1, 1991. The Duke Blue Devils won their first NCAA national championship with a 72–65 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

## Season headlines

* The Patriot League began play, with seven original members.
* In a game on January 5, 1991, between two teams specializing in the fast-break offense, Kevin Bradshaw of U.S.International set a new NCAA record for points scored by a single player against an NCAA Division I opponent, scoring 72 points in a 186–140 loss to Loyola Marymount. Bradshaw broke LSU shooting guard Pete Maravich's record of 69 points, set in a February 1970 game against Alabama.
* In the 1991 NCAA tournament, a No. 15 seed defeated a No. 2 seed for the first time in tournament history, when Richmond topped Syracuse 73–69 in a first-round game.
* UNLV was the first team since the 1975–76 Indiana Hoosiers to enter the NCAA tournament unbeaten. The Runnin' Rebels reached 34–0 (and 45 straight wins dating to the previous season) before losing 79–77 to Duke in the national semifinals.
* Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State became the first head coach to take four different teams to the NCAA tournament. He had done it previously with Creighton in 1974, Arkansas in 1977, and Kentucky in 1986.
* North Carolina's Dean Smith became the first head coach to take a school to the NCAA tournament's Final Four in four different decades. He coached North Carolina to the Final Four 11 times between 1967 and 1997.
* Duke won its first national championship in its ninth (and fourth consecutive) Final Four appearance.
* The American South Conference disbanded at the end of the season.

## Major rule changes

Beginning in 1990–91, the following rule changes were implemented:
* Players fouled in the act of shooting a missed three-pointer received three free throws instead of the previous two.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 25 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UNLV |
| 2 | Arkansas |
| 3 | Arizona |
| 4 | Michigan State |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 | Duke |
| 7 | Alabama |
| 8 | Indiana |
| 9 | Georgetown |
| 10 | Ohio State |
| 11 | UCLA |
| 12 | Pittsburgh |
| 13 | Syracuse |
| 14 | LSU |
| 15 | Oklahoma |
| 16 | Georgia Tech |
| 17 | Connecticut |
| 18 | Virginia |
| 19 | Temple |
| 20 | Missouri |
| 21 | Georgia |
| 22 | Texas |
| 23 | Louisville |
| 24 | Southern Miss |
| 25 | St. John's |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UNLV |
| 2 | Arizona |
| 3 | Arkansas |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Michigan State |
| 6 | Duke |
| 7 | Georgetown |
| 8 | Indiana |
| 9 | Alabama |
| 10 | UCLA |
| 11 | Ohio State |
| 12 | Oklahoma |
| 13 | LSU |
| 13 | Connecticut |
| 15 | Pittsburgh |
| 16 | Syracuse |
| 17 | Georgia Tech |
| 18 | Southern Miss |
| 19 | Virginia |
| 20 | Kansas |
| 21 | Texas |
| 22 | Louisville |
| 23 | Georgia |
| 24 | Temple |
| 25 | Notre Dame |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Akron Zips | NCAA Division I independent | Mid-Continent Conference |
| Army Cadets | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Patriot League |
| Augusta State Jaguars | Big South Conference | Peach Belt Conference (NCAA Division II) |
| Bucknell Bison | East Coast Conference | Patriot League |
| Buffalo Bulls | NCAA Division II | East Coast Conference |
| Cal State Northridge Matadors | NCAA Division II | NCAA Division I independent |
| Central Connecticut State Blue Devils | NCAA Division I independent | East Coast Conference |
| Central Florida Knights | NCAA Division I independent | American South Conference |
| Colgate Raiders | North Atlantic Conference | Patriot League |
| Davidson Wildcats | NCAA Division I independent | Big South Conference |
| Fordham Rams | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Patriot League |
| Hardin–Simmons Cowboys | Trans America Athletic Conference | Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division III) |
| Holy Cross Crusaders | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Patriot League |
| Lafayette Leopards | East Coast Conference | Patriot League |
| Lehigh Engineers | East Coast Conference | Patriot League |
| UMBC Retrievers | NCAA Division I independent | East Coast Conference |
| Milwaukee Panthers | NCAA Division II independent | NCAA Division I independent |
| Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles | NCAA Division II independent | NCAA Division I independent |
| Northern Illinois Huskies | NCAA Division I independent | Mid-Continent Conference |
| Southeastern Louisiana Lions | No team | NCAA Division I independent |
| Southwest Missouri State Bears | Mid-Continent Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season first place | Conference player of the year | Conference Coach of the Year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (city) | Tournament winner |
| American South Conference | Arkansas State & New Orleans | Tank Collins, New Orleans | Nelson Catalina, Arkansas State | 1991 American South Conference men's basketball tournament | Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, LA) | Louisiana Tech |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Rutgers | Keith Hughes, Rutgers | John Carroll, Duquesne | 1991 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament | Palestra (Philadelphia, PA) | Penn State |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Duke | Rodney Monroe, NC State | Dave Odom, Wake Forest | 1991 ACC men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC | North Carolina |
| Big East Conference | Syracuse | Billy Owens, Syracuse | Jim Boeheim, Syracuse | 1991 Big East men's basketball tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | Seton Hall |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas & Oklahoma State | Byron Houston, Oklahoma State & Doug Smith, Missouri | Danny Nee, Nebraska | 1991 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO) | Missouri |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | Kevin Kearney, Montana | Stew Morrill, Montana | 1991 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Dahlberg Arena (Missoula, MT) | Montana |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina | Tony Dunkin, Coastal Carolina | Oliver Purnell, Radford | 1991 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament | Civic Center of Anderson (Anderson, SC) | Coastal Carolina |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana & Ohio State | Jim Jackson, Ohio State | Randy Ayers, Ohio State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big West Conference | UNLV | Larry Johnson, UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV | 1991 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament | Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA) | UNLV |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | Steve Hood, James Madison | Dick Tarrant, Richmond | 1991 CAA men's basketball tournament | Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, VA) | Richmond |
| East Coast Conference | Towson State | Devin Boyd, Towson State | Terry Truax, Towson State | 1991 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Towson Center (Towson, MD) | Towson State |
| Ivy League | Princeton | Kit Mueller, Princeton | Not named | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Southern Miss | Clarence Weatherspoon, Southern Miss | Perry Clark, Tulane | 1991 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, VA) | Florida State |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | La Salle & Siena | Marc Brown, Siena | Ted Fiore, Saint Peter's | 1991 MAAC men's basketball tournament | Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY) | Saint Peter's |
| Mid-American Conference | Eastern Michigan | Marcus Kennedy, Eastern Michigan | Ben Braun, Eastern Michigan | 1991 MAC men's basketball tournament | Cobo Arena (Detroit, MI) | Eastern Michigan |
| Mid-Continent Conference | Northern Illinois | Tony Bennett, Wisconsin–Green Bay | Jim Molinari, Northern Illinois | 1991 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament | Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena (Green Bay, WI) | Wisconsin–Green Bay |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Coppin State | Larry Stewart, Coppin State | Fang Mitchell, Coppin State | 1991 MEAC men's basketball tournament | Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, VA) | Florida A&M |
| Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Xavier | Darin Archbold, Butler | Barry Collier, Butler | 1991 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament | UD Arena (Dayton, OH) | Xavier |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Creighton | Chad Gallagher, Creighton | Tates Locke, Indiana State | 1991 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Kiel Auditorium (St. Louis, MO) | Creighton |
| North Atlantic Conference | Northeastern | Matt Johnson, Vermont | Tom Brennan, Vermont | 1991 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament | Matthews Arena (Boston, MA) | Northeastern |
| Northeast Conference | Fairleigh Dickinson & Saint Francis (PA) | Mike Iuzzolino, Saint Francis (PA) | Rich Zvosec, St. Francis (NY) | 1991 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament | DeGol Arena (Loretto, PA) | Saint Francis (PA) |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State | Popeye Jones, Murray State | Dave Loos, Austin Peay | 1991 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Racer Arena (Murray, KY) | Murray State |
| Pacific-10 Conference | Arizona | Terrell Brandon, Oregon | Kelvin Sampson, Washington State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Patriot League | Fordham | Damon Lopez, Fordham | Nick Macarchuk, Fordham | 1991 Patriot League men's basketball tournament | Hart Center (Worcester, MA) | Fordham |
| Southeastern Conference | LSU & Mississippi State | Shaquille O'Neal, LSU | Rick Pitino, Kentucky | 1991 SEC men's basketball tournament | Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville, TN) | Alabama |
| Southern Conference | East Tennessee State & Furman | Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State | Butch Estes, Furman | 1991 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Asheville Civic Center (Asheville, NC) | East Tennessee State |
| Southland Conference | Northeast Louisiana | Carlos Funchess, Northeast Louisiana & Anthony Jones, Northeast Louisiana | Ned Fowler, Stephen F. Austin | 1991 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (Monroe, LA) | Northeast Louisiana |
| Southwest Conference | Arkansas | Oliver Miller, Arkansas | Nolan Richardson, Arkansas | 1991 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | Reunion Arena (Dallas, TX) | Arkansas |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Jackson State | Steve Rogers, Alabama State | Andy Stoglin, Jackson State | 1991 SWAC men's basketball tournament | Health and Physical Education Arena (Houston, TX) | Jackson State |
| Sun Belt Conference | South Alabama | Chris Gatling, Old Dominion | Ronnie Arrow, South Alabama | 1991 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Mobile Civic Center (Mobile, AL) | South Alabama |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Texas–San Antonio | Patrick Greer, Centenary | Tommy Vardeman, Centenary | 1991 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Edmunds Center (DeLand, FL) | Georgia State |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pepperdine | Doug Christie, Pepperdine | Tom Asbury, Pepperdine | 1991 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, CA) | Pepperdine |
| Western Athletic Conference | Utah | Josh Grant, Utah | Rick Majerus, Utah | 1991 WAC men's basketball tournament | Arena-Auditorium (Laramie, WY) | BYU |
* 1 2 3 4 5 Top seed in conference tournament.

#### Conference standings

1990–91 American South Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1990–91 American South Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT New Orleans9–3 .75023–8  .742 Arkansas State9–3 .75023–9  .719 Louisiana Tech †8–4 .66721–10  .677 Southwestern Louisiana6–6 .50021–10  .677 Lamar4–8 .33315–13  .536 UCF3–9 .25010–17  .370 Texas–Pan American3–9 .2507–21  .250 † 1991 American South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Duke11–3 .78632–7  .821 No. 4 North Carolina †10–4 .71429–6  .829 Wake Forest8–6 .57119–11  .633 NC State8–6 .57120–11  .645 Georgia Tech6–8 .42917–13  .567 Virginia6–8 .42921–12  .636 Maryland5–9 .35716–12  .571 Clemson2–12 .14311–17  .393 † 1991 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1990–91 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rutgers14–4 .77819–10  .655 Temple13–5 .72224–10  .706 Penn State †10–8 .55621–11  .656 George Washington10–8 .55619–12  .613 UMass10–8 .55620–13  .606 West Virginia10–8 .55617–14  .548 Duquesne10–8 .55613–15  .464 Saint Joseph's7–11 .38913–17  .433 Rhode Island6–12 .33311–17  .393 St. Bonaventure0–18 .0005–23  .179 † 1991 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Big East men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Syracuse12–4 .75026–6  .813 No. 20 St. John's10–6 .62523–9  .719 Connecticut9–7 .56320–11  .645 No. 13 Seton Hall †9–7 .56325–9  .735 Pittsburgh9–7 .56321–12  .636 Georgetown8–8 .50019–13  .594 Providence7–9 .43819–13  .594 Villanova7–9 .43817–15  .531 Boston College1–15 .06311–19  .367 † 1991 Big East tournament winner As of April 1, 1991 Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Oklahoma State10–4 .71424–8  .750 No. 12 Kansas10–4 .71427–8  .771 No. 11 Nebraska9–5 .64326–8  .765 Missouri †8–6 .57120–10  .667 Iowa State6–8 .42912–19  .387 Oklahoma5–9 .35720–15  .571 Colorado5–9 .35719–14  .576 Kansas State3–11 .21413–15  .464 † 1991 Big Eight tournament winner As of April 1, 1991 Rankings from AP poll | 1990–91 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Montana †13–3 .81323–8  .742 Nevada12–4 .75017–14  .548 Idaho11–5 .68819–11  .633 Boise State10–6 .62517–10  .630 Idaho State7–9 .43811–18  .379 Weber State7–9 .43812–16  .429 Montana State6–10 .37512–16  .429 Eastern Washington5–11 .31311–16  .407 Northern Arizona1–15 .0634–23  .148 † Conference tournament winner |
| 1990–91 Big South Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Coastal Carolina †13–1 .92924–8  .750 Radford12–2 .85722–7  .759 Augusta State9–5 .64314–16  .467 Davidson6–8 .42910–19  .345 Winthrop5–9 .3578–20  .286 UNC Asheville4–10 .2868–20  .286 Charleston Southern4–10 .2869–19  .321 Campbell3–11 .2149–19  .321 † 1991 Big South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Ohio State15–3 .83327–4  .871 No. 3 Indiana15–3 .83329–5  .853 Illinois11–7 .61121–10  .677 Michigan State11–7 .61119–11  .633 Iowa9–9 .50021–11  .656 Purdue9–9 .50017–12  .586 Wisconsin8–10 .44415–15  .500 Michigan7–11 .38914–15  .483 Minnesota5–13 .27812–16  .429 Northwestern0–18 .0005–23  .179 Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Big West men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 UNLV18–0 1.00034–1  .971 No. 15 New Mexico State15–3 .83323–6  .793 Pacific9–9 .50014–15  .483 UC Santa Barbara8–10 .44414–15  .483 Utah State8–10 .44411–17  .393 Cal State Fullerton7–11 .38914–14  .500 Fresno State7–11 .38914–16  .467 Long Beach State7–11 .38911–17  .393 UC Irvine6–12 .33311–19  .367 San Jose State5–13 .2787–20  .259 † 1991 Big West tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1990-91 CAA men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT James Madison12–2 .85719–10  .655 Richmond †10–4 .71422–10  .688 American8–6 .57115–14  .517 George Mason8–6 .57114–16  .467 UNC Wilmington6–8 .42911–17  .393 William & Mary6–8 .42913–15  .464 East Carolina4–10 .28612–16  .429 Navy2–12 .1438–21  .276 † 1991 CAA tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 East Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Towson State †10–2 .83319–11  .633 Delaware8–4 .66716–13  .552 Hofstra7–5 .58314–14  .500 Drexel7–5 .58312–16  .429 Rider4–8 .33314–16  .467 UMBC4–8 .3337–22  .241 Central Connecticut State2–10 .1674–24  .143 † 1991 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1990-91 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Princeton14–0 1.00024–3  .889 Yale9–5 .64315–11  .577 Cornell6–8 .42913–13  .500 Brown6–8 .42911–15  .423 Harvard6–8 .4299–17  .346 Penn6–8 .4299–17  .346 Columbia5–9 .3577–19  .269 Dartmouth4–10 .2869–17  .346 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 25 Southern Miss10–4 .71421–8  .724 Florida State †9–5 .64321–11  .656 Cincinnati8–6 .57118–12  .600 Tulane7–7 .50015–13  .536 Memphis7–7 .50017–15  .531 Virginia Tech6–8 .42913–16  .448 South Carolina5–9 .35720–13  .606 Louisville4–10 .28614–16  .467 † 1991 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Siena12–4 .75025–10  .714 La Salle12–4 .75019–10  .655 Saint Peter's †11–5 .68824–7  .774 Iona11–5 .68817–13  .567 Manhattan8–8 .50013–15  .464 Niagara6–10 .3758–20  .286 Loyola (MD)5–11 .31312–16  .429 Fairfield4–12 .2508–20  .286 Canisius3–13 .18810–19  .345 † 1991 MAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Eastern Michigan †13–3 .81326–7  .788 Miami (OH)10–6 .62516–12  .571 Ball State10–6 .62521–10  .677 Bowling Green9–7 .56317–13  .567 Ohio9–7 .56316–12  .571 Central Michigan8–8 .50014–14  .500 Toledo7–9 .43817–16  .515 Kent State4–12 .25010–18  .357 Western Michigan2–14 .1255–22  .185 † 1991 Mid-American Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern Illinois14–2 .87525–6  .806 Green Bay †13–3 .81324–7  .774 Eastern Illinois10–6 .62517–12  .586 Cleveland State8–8 .50012–16  .429 Northern Iowa8–8 .50013–19  .406 Western Illinois6–10 .37513–15  .464 Akron6–10 .37515–13  .536 UIC5–11 .31315–15  .500 Valparaiso2–14 .1255–22  .185 † 1991 Mid-Con Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 MEAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Coppin State14–2 .87519–11  .633 Delaware State10–6 .62519–11  .633 North Carolina A&T10–6 .62517–10  .630 South Carolina State10–6 .62513–15  .464 Florida A&M †9–7 .56317–14  .548 Howard7–9 .4388–20  .286 Morgan State6–10 .3757–22  .241 Maryland Eastern Shore3–13 .1885–23  .179 Bethune–Cookman3–13 .1885–24  .172 † 1991 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Xavier †11–3 .78622–10  .688 Butler10–4 .71418–11  .621 Saint Louis8–6 .57119–14  .576 Dayton8–6 .57114–15  .483 Evansville7–7 .50014–14  .500 Marquette7–7 .50011–18  .379 Loyola (IL)3–11 .21410–19  .345 Detroit Mercy2–12 .1439–19  .321 † 1991 MCC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Creighton †12–4 .75024–8  .750 Southwest Missouri State11–5 .68822–12  .647 Tulsa10–6 .62518–12  .600 Indiana State9–7 .56314–14  .500 Southern Illinois9–7 .56318–14  .563 Wichita State7–9 .43814–17  .452 Bradley6–10 .3758–20  .286 Illinois State4–12 .2505–23  .179 Drake4–12 .2508–21  .276 † 1991 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northeastern †8–2 .80022–11  .667 Maine7–3 .70013–16  .448 Boston University5–5 .50011–18  .379 Vermont5–5 .50015–13  .536 Hartford5–5 .50013–16  .448 New Hampshire0–10 .0003–25  .107 † 1991 NAC tournament winner | 1990–91 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Saint Francis (PA)†13–3 .81324–8  .750 Fairleigh Dickinson13–3 .81322–9  .710 Robert Morris*12–4 .75017–11  .607 Monmouth10–6 .62519–8  .704 St. Francis (NY)8–8 .50015–14  .517 Mount St. Mary's*6–10 .3758–19  .296 Long Island4–12 .25010–18  .357 Marist4–12 .2506–22  .214 Wagner2–14 .1254–26  .133 † 1991 NEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll *Ineligible for conference tournament |
| 1990–91 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Murray State †10–2 .83324–9  .727 Eastern Kentucky9–3 .75019–10  .655 Tennessee Tech6–6 .50012–16  .429 Austin Peay6–6 .50015–14  .517 Middle Tennessee6–6 .50021–9  .700 Morehead State4–8 .33316–13  .552 Tennessee State1–11 .0835–23  .179 † 1991 OVC tournament winner | 1990–91 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Arizona14–4 .77828–7  .800 No. 16 UCLA11–7 .61123–9  .719 Arizona State10–8 .55620–10  .667 USC10–8 .55619–10  .655 Stanford8–10 .44420–13  .606 Washington State8–10 .44416–12  .571 Oregon State8–10 .44414–14  .500 Oregon8–10 .44413–15  .464 California8–10 .44413–15  .464 Washington5–13 .27814–14  .500 As of April 15, 1991 Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Patriot League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Fordham †11–1 .91725–8  .758 Lehigh10–2 .83319–10  .655 Holy Cross8–4 .66718–12  .600 Bucknell7–5 .58318–13  .581 Army3–9 .2506–22  .214 Colgate2–10 .1675–23  .179 Lafayette1–11 .0837–21  .250 † 1991 Patriot League tournament winner |
| 1990–91 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Kentucky14–4 .77822–6  .786 No. 21 Mississippi State13–5 .72220–9  .690 No. 22 LSU13–5 .72220–10  .667 No. 19 Alabama †12–6 .66723–10  .697 Vanderbilt11–7 .61117–13  .567 Georgia9–9 .50017–13  .567 Florida7–11 .38911–17  .393 Auburn5–13 .27813–16  .448 Ole Miss3–15 .1679–19  .321 Tennessee3–15 .16712–22  .353 † 1991 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1990–91 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Furman11–3 .78620–9  .690 No. 17 East Tennessee State†11–3 .78628–5  .848 Chattanooga11–3 .78619–10  .655 Appalachian State7–7 .50016–14  .533 Marshall7–7 .50014–14  .500 VMI5–9 .35710–18  .357 Western Carolina3–11 .21411–17  .393 The Citadel1–13 .0716–22  .214 † 1991 SoCon Tournament winner As of April 30, 1991 Rankings from AP poll | 1990–91 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT NE Louisiana †13–1 .92925–8  .758 UT Arlington11–3 .78620–9  .690 North Texas State11–3 .78617–13  .567 Stephen F. Austin6–8 .42911–17  .393 Sam Houston State5–9 .3577–20  .259 Texas State4–10 .28610–17  .370 McNeese State4–10 .2868–19  .296 Northwestern State2–12 .1436–22  .214 † 1991 Southland Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Arkansas †15–1 .93834–4  .895 No. 23 Texas13–3 .81323–9  .719 Houston10–6 .62518–11  .621 TCU9–7 .56318–10  .643 Rice9–7 .56316–14  .533 SMU6–10 .37512–17  .414 Baylor4–12 .25012–15  .444 Texas Tech4–12 .2508–23  .258 Texas A&M2–14 .1258–21  .276 † 1991 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Jackson State †10–2 .83317–13  .567 Southern8–4 .66719–9  .679 Alabama State7–5 .58318–11  .621 Texas Southern7–5 .58313–17  .433 Mississippi Valley State4–8 .3339–19  .321 Alcorn State3–9 .2508–21  .276 Grambling3–9 .2506–22  .214 Prairie View A&M0–0 –4–21  .160 † 1991 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT South Alabama †11–3 .78622–9  .710 UAB9–5 .64318–13  .581 South Florida8–6 .57119–11  .633 Western Kentucky8–6 .57114–14  .500 VCU7–7 .50014–17  .452 Old Dominion5–9 .35714–18  .438 UNC Charlotte6–8 .42914–14  .500 Jacksonville2–12 .1436–22  .214 † 1991 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1990–91 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UTSA12–2 .85721–8  .724 Centenary10–4 .71417–12  .586 Georgia Southern9–5 .64314–13  .519 Stetson9–5 .64315–16  .484 Georgia State †7–7 .50016–15  .516 Arkansas–Little Rock6–8 .42910–20  .333 Samford2–12 .1436–22  .214 Mercer1–13 .0712–25  .074 † 1991 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1990–91 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pepperdine †13–1 .92922–9  .710 Loyola Marymount9–5 .64316–15  .516 San Diego8–6 .57117–12  .586 Saint Mary's7–7 .50013–17  .433 Santa Clara7–7 .50016–13  .552 Gonzaga5–9 .35714–14  .500 San Francisco4–10 .28612–17  .414 Portland3–11 .2145–23  .179 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1990–91 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Utah15–1 .93830–4  .882 BYU †11–5 .68821–13  .618 New Mexico10–6 .62520–10  .667 Wyoming8–8 .50020–12  .625 UTEP7–9 .43816–13  .552 Hawaii7–9 .43816–13  .552 Colorado State6–10 .37515–14  .517 San Diego State6–10 .37513–16  .448 Air Force2–14 .1259–20  .310 † 1991 WAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 17 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (20–9) had both the best winning percentage (.690) and the most wins.
1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 24 DePaul-–- –20–9
* .690
* Wright State-–- –19–9
* .679
* Milwaukee-–- –18–10
* .643
* Southern Utah-–- –16–12
* .571
* Missouri–Kansas City-–- –15–14
* .517
* Youngstown State-–- –12–16
* .429
* Brooklyn-–- –11–16
* .407
* Notre Dame-–- –12–20
* .375
* Miami (FL)-–- –9–19
* .321
* Southeastern Louisiana-–- –9–19
* .321
* Cal State Northridge-–- –8–20
* .286
* Florida International-–- –6–22
* .214
* Liberty-–- –5–23
* .179
* Chicago State-–- –4–24
* .143
* Nicholls State-–- –3–25
* .107
* Northeastern Illinois-–- –2–25
* .074
* US International-–- –2–26
* .071
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's & Temple | Mark Macon, Temple |
Saint Joseph's and Temple both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5. After this season, the Big 5 dropped its full round-robin schedule in which each team met each other team once, which it had used since its first season of competition in 1955–56. Instead, each team played only two games against other Big 5 members from the 1991–92 season through the 1998–99 season. The Big 5 did not revive its full round-robin schedule until 1999–2000 season.

### Statistical leaders

| Points per game | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Assists per game | Assists per game | Assists per game | Steals per game | Steals per game | Steals per game |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | APG | Player | School | SPG |
| Kevin Bradshaw | US International | 37.6 | Shaquille O'Neal | LSU | 14.7 | Chris Corchiani | NC State | 9.6 | Van Usher | Tenn. Tech | 3.7 |
| Alphonso Ford | Miss. Valley St. | 32.7 | Popeye Jones | Murray St. | 14.2 | Danny Tirado | Jacksonville | 9.3 | Scott Burrell | Connecticut | 3.6 |
| Von McDade | UW–Milwaukee | 29.6 | Larry Stewart | Coppin St. | 13.4 | Terrell Lowery | Loyola Marymount | 9.1 | Eric Murdock | Providence | 3.5 |
| Steve Rogers | Alabama St. | 29.4 | Tim Burroughs | Jacksonville | 13.0 | Keith Jennings | E. Tenn. St. | 9.1 | Von McDade | UW–Milwaukee | 3.5 |
| Terrell Lowery | Loyola Marymount | 28.5 | Warren Kidd | Middle Tenn St. | 12.3 | Greg Anthony | UNLV | 8.9 | Lynn Smith | St. Francis (NY) | 3.4 |
| Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Three-point field goal percentage | Three-point field goal percentage | Three-point field goal percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage |
| Player | School | BPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | 3FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Shawn Bradley | BYU | 5.2 | Oliver Miller | Arkansas | .704 | Keith Jennings | E. Tenn St. | .592 | Darin Archbold | Butler | .912 |
| Cedric Lewis | Maryland | 5.1 | Warren Kidd | Middle Tenn. St. | .700 | Tony Bennett | UW–Green Bay | .533 | William Lewis | Monmouth | .901 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | LSU | 5.0 | Pete Freeman | Akron | .700 | Mike Iuzzolino | St. Francis (PA) | .528 | Darwyn Alexander | Oklahoma St. | .897 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | Georgetown | 4.7 | Lester James | St. Francis (NY) | .693 | Ross Richardson | Loyola Marymount | .526 | Keith Jennings | E. Tenn. St. | .895 |
| Kevin Roberson | Vermont | 3.7 | Marcus Kennedy | E. Michigan | .692 | David Mitchell | Samford | .526 | Rodney Monroe | NC State | .895 |

## Postseason tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four - Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship Game | National Championship Game | National Championship Game |
| E1 | North Carolina | 73 | | | |
| S3 | Kansas | 79 | | | |
| S3 | Kansas | 79 | S3 | Kansas | 65 |
| | | | M2 | Duke | 72 |
| M2 | Duke | 79 | M2 | Duke | 72 |
| W1 | UNLV | 77 | | | |

### National Invitation tournament
#### NIT Semifinals and Final

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 88 | | | |
| Colorado | Colorado | 78 | | | |
| Colorado | Colorado | 78 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 72 |
| | | | Stanford | Stanford | 78 |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts | 71 | Stanford | Stanford | 78 |
| Stanford | Stanford | 78 | | | |
| Third place game | Third place game | Third place game |
| Colorado | Colorado | 98 |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts | 91 |

## Award winners
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Kenny Anderson | G | Sophomore | Georgia Tech |
| Jimmy Jackson | G/F | Sophomore | Ohio State |
| Larry Johnson | F | Senior | UNLV |
| Shaquille O'Neal | C | Sophomore | Louisiana State |
| Billy Owens | F | Junior | Syracuse |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Stacey Augmon | F | Senior | UNLV |
| Keith Jennings | G | Senior | East Tennessee State |
| Christian Laettner | F | Junior | Duke |
| Eric Murdock | G | Senior | Providence |
| Steve Smith | G | Senior | Michigan State |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Larry Johnson, UNLV
* Naismith Award: Larry Johnson, UNLV
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, LSU
* UPI Player of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, LSU
* NABC Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, UNLV
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Larry Johnson, UNLV
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Shaquille O'Neal, LSU
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, UNLV

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Randy Ayers, Ohio State
* UPI Coach of the Year: Rick Majerus, Utah
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Randy Ayers, Ohio State
* NABC Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
* Naismith College Coach of the Year: Randy Ayers, Ohio State
* CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Randy Ayers, Ohio State
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino, Kentucky

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Mark Macon, Temple
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Malik Sealy, St. John's
* USBWA National Freshman of the Year: Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach |
| Bradley | Stan Albeck | | Jim Molinari |
| Brown | Mike Cingiser | | Frank Dobbs |
| Central Michigan | Charlie Coles | | Keith Dambrot |
| Colorado State | Boyd Grant | | Stew Morrill |
| Cornell | Mike Dement | | Jan van Breda Kolff |
| Creighton | Tony Barone | | Rick Johnson |
| Dartmouth | Paul Cormier | | Dave Faucher |
| Drexel | Eddie Burke | | Bill Herrion |
| East Carolina | Mike Steele | | Eddie Payne |
| Fairfield | Mitch Buonaguro | | Paul Cormier |
| Harvard | Peter Roby | | Frank Sullivan |
| Iona | Gary Brokaw | | Jerry Welsh |
| Jacksonville | Rich Haddad | | Matt Kilcullen |
| Middle Tennessee State | Bruce Stewart | | David Farrar |
| Montana | Stew Morrill | | Blaine Taylor |
| Morehead State | Tommy Gaither | | Dick Fick |
| Murray State | Steve Newton | | Scott Edgar |
| Northern Illinois | Jim Molinari | | Brian Hammel |
| Notre Dame | Digger Phelps | | John MacLeod |
| Old Dominion | Tom Young | | Oliver Purnell |
| Radford | Oliver Purnell | | Ron Bradley |
| Saint Mary's | Paul Landreaux | Dave Fehte | Ernie Kent |
| South Carolina | George Felton | | Steve Newton |
| Texas A&M | Kermit Davis | | Tony Barone |
| UNC Greensboro | Bob McEvoy | | Mike Dement |