The talent in this UNLV team was off the charts. I had to watch these guys 2-3 times per season back then as a Fresno State alum and fan of the Dogs. Larry Johnson was a BEAST.
I'm also a Fresno State alum, though much further along (c/o 2007), but I was a Dogs fan as a kid back then and seeing those Wil Hooker, Tod Bernard, Pat Riddlesprigger teams have to get taken to the woodshed was rough (though they were competitive with this team both times). I missed the Boyd Grant days...we moved to Fresno in 1985 when I was six and I didn't get in to Fresno State basketball until 1988.
I Remember This Game Like It Was Yesterday. It Was On My Birthday, Sophomore Year Of Highschool And They Scored 130 Or So Points. UNLV Was Our Squad 💪🏿!!
My senior year of high school. I still remember seeing Gathers collapse to the floor and never rise again. Loyola had a great run riding that emotion, but that Vegas team was fantastic. They still hold the record for the largest margin of victory in a title game. They beat Duke by 30 and the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
Facts. I was a hs sophomore & remember Vegas just cruisin to finish the gane. If they really wanted to embarrass Duke, they coulda "kept a foot on the gas" and won by 45. 😂
UNLV flat out destroyed Loyola Marymount, like they did to Duke in the Final. When the Running Rebels are running like this all you can do is duck for cover.
Bama held LMU in the sweet 16 to the lowest point total of the season.Then UNLV Running Rebs ran them out Oakland. Most point in the history of an Elite 8. Tarks bous crushed Ga Tech and Dukr in Denver to win their only national championship. The luckiest coach in college history. I could have coached that team to a national championship. Most athletic team in history. Just a freaking machinem Larry Johnson MVP.
Mind blowing these two teams played this same season in the Preseason NIT tourney and Hank Gathers was alive and played against them. The game was extremely close but UNLV and LJ proved to be too much at the end. Gathers was a beast in the game tho... there was even a bomb threat in the game that actually stopped a red hot Loyola who was up 10.... would've made this game wayyyyyyy more interesting but I'd still go with UNLV.. clicking on all cylinders at this point.
As Tark said in his book, when Vegas played well, they played as well as anyone, but they didn't play like they did against LMU, Arkansas and Duke (in the title game). They were sort of an oddball team. They had moments where you thought, "this is the best team I have ever seen." But they weren't like that every night. Sometimes they would play terrible against PCAA and Big West teams, other times they would annihilate a top 10 team.
@@MattSmith-iq1ld I remember Tark saying he could tell in the shoot around that they were in big trouble later that night.... he was right. There's no doubt this team when clicking was as good as it gets
Both teams could run and score in the 1/2 court. The big difference between the teams was UNLV’s length, superior athleticism and way better 1/2 court defense. It would have been a much more interesting game had LMU had Gathers.
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 lmu was very good but the only way that UNLV was gonna lose was if you slowed it down like ball state. No one was gonna beat that stacked UNLV team that was playing at their peak with their own style (run and gun). Remember they beat duke by 30 in the championship
Keep in mind, there are a couple reasons that probably contributed to Loyola Marymount's huge loss to UNLV. Loyola's best player, Hank Gathers had just died prior to this game, so not only do they not have one of College basketball's best players to help them against UNLV, but his teammates are still in shock. I know Bo Kimble and him were very close friends.
@@FloridaHeat72 People also forgot that this Vegas team lost at New Mexico State and UCSB. I think it's as Tark said. They may have not been the best team ever, but when they played GREAT, they could play as GREAT as anyone. Tark was aware that they were not as good as the 1990 title team looked against Duke. They weren't going to throw a pitch like that every game. It should be noted that the black stripes that Vegas wore in this game and at the Final 4 were in salute to Hank Gathers. A lot of folks do not understand that. LMU was really good w/ Hank.
Imagine if LMU ran their "system" in today's NBA. Westhead tried to institute it with the Nuggets for two seasons, and it didn't work out. But today? He could be the architect of a dynasty.
That's what makes me laugh when everyone says that guys had no skill and whatever back then. Westhead TRIED to play a more modern game and his teams got smoked.
They played at the beginning of the year and it was a really close game. Loyola actually had a 10 point lead in the first half then there was a bomb threat that delayed the game 4 minutes and really killed momentum. I believe Loyola still led at the half. UNLV proved to be a little much at the end tho... mainly because LJ was just a serious problem. Really mind blowing though that Hank Gathers was alive when they played each other at the beginning of the season and passed away during the season before the teams would meet again. Crazy..
@@craigjohnson5590 I am not sure if Joshua is talking about Duke or UNLV, but the NCAA investigated Tark for 2 decades and had to pay a multimillion buck settlement for harassment because the NCAA could never prove that Tark, his boosters, or his assistants ever paid off a player. Ever. They withstood more investigation than any sports team ever. Did Tark take a chance on players? Yes. But UNLV is a cheap in state school and no one talks about all the success stories. As he says in his autobiography, the vast majority of kids who come from the ghetto do not get out of it. Lots of ex-players working in the restaurant and entertainment industry instead of selling dope. There were way more of those cases than Lloyd Daniels.
Look at the SIZE difference...LMU was SMALL...(Paul Westhead and the system...early small ball)...and how does this excellent UNLV team lose to Duke the next season smh...Grant Hill was the new edition but UNLV had 4 GRANT HILLS lol
Maaaaan, ioeno how tf that happened. But i remember this ominous feeling i had after Duke scored right after the opening tip. I forget who won the tip but right away, Grant Hill (or Bryan Davis, or somebody....) got a transition layup off of that opening tip. I remember thinkin' "Oh, shit! Duke ain't tryin to playin around THIS time!"
But we could also say Alabama should have beaten Loyola in the last game. Bama did what no other team was willing to do, which was to slow the game down against LMU by using up nearly all of the shot clock on their possessions. It really through LMU out of their rhythm and it almost worked.
Yeah you right about Ball State should have beat UNLV the sad part about it was my cousin played for Ball State and he missed the last shot at the buzzer
Watch that game again towards the end. Ball State was hesitant to make the game winner. That said, was very fortunate to see the LMU vs Alabama/ UNLV vs Ball St. in person and saw two exciting games.
NOT!!! Vegas was strong I know people wanted LMU to win for Hank but Vegas wanted to destroy them from the first game they played early that year the Lions was talking trash including Hank during that game
LMU tried. They really did 😁 But i was glad that they got to the Elite 8 game. But, as a young, up & coming Duke-hater i felt that it was best for UnLV to get to the Four so they can whoop up on Duke, as they eventually did. 😁
Terrible strategy to press this team full of athletes and play uptemo. Ball state slowed the game down and damn near should've won. The game has always been about matchups, and style of play
Matt Michael did you actually believe that your team had any chance in Hell to beat Vegas? They can't play defense for Shit!!! You are in a fucking dream world pal!!
