DENVER -- Anderson Hunt struck for 29 points and Nevada-Las Vegas played crackling defense to hit college basketball's jackpot Monday night, defeating Duke 103-73 in the biggest rout in an NCAA championship final.
With a commanding show of strength, discipline and sparkle, the Rebels set a record for most points scored in the championship final and left no doubt as to the premier team in college basketball.
'This is what it's all about,' UNLV All-America Larry Johnson said. 'It was a great team victory.'
The Rebels shredded Duke during an 18-0 run in the second half, silencing any prospect the Blue Devils had of winning their first NCAA title in four championship game appearances.
Such was the one-sidedness of the contest that by the last few minutes, the players on the Nevada-Las Vegas bench donned T-shirts in tribute to their coach, Jerry Tarkanian.
'Shark Takes a Bite,' the shirt read on the front. 'They Just Couldn't Run with the Rebels,' read the back of the shirt.
All too true.
'I'm just so proud of this team,' Tarkanian said. 'They have played all season with such intensity.'
Before this bombardment, the biggest margin of victory in a championship game came in 1968 when UCLA beat North Carolina 78-55.
This also marked the first time the winning team reached 100 points as history caught up to Duke on that count. In 1964, UCLA scored 98 points in beating the Blue Devils, a record for points by a winning team that stood until Monday night.
Hunt, whose 3-point shooting carried the Rebels in the semifinals against Georgia Tech, was 12 of 16 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
He backed by Johnson, who delivered 22 points and 11 rebounds. Greg Anthony had 13 and Stacey Augmon 12 as the Rebels shot 61 percent from the floor.
The game was billed as a man-to-man showdown between two of the country's best defensive teams. But this was no showdown. This was strictly a massacre.
UNLV, which played in two previous Final Fours without advancing to the championship game, finished at 35-5 and gave the season a sense of symmetry, having been voted the No. 1 team in preseason.
Duke, 29-9, was led by Phil Henderson with 21 points, while Christian Laettner added 15 and Alaa Abdelnaby 14.
Duke did more than most expected this year, but this game made for another case of Final Four futility for the Blue Devils. They have now played in the Final Four three straight years and in four of the last five. And every time they have come up empty.
This was the third straight game in which Duke faced a killer defensive team. And the strain appeared all too clear.
Nothing was more telling than the 18-0 burst that began with Duke trailing 57-47 and 16 1-2 minutes to go. Then Hunt went to work, scoring 12 points in the run. On consecutive plays he teamed with Augmon to sink layups off the break. His 3-pointer put the Rebels up 75-47 with 13:17 left.
The outcome was sealed. It would not be long before Rebel players were wrestling in jubilation at mid-court.
A sellout crowd at McNichols Sports Arena saw UNLV leave its signature early on with no-nonsense defense that put Duke in an early hole.
The Rebels led 47-35 at the half and in one sequence that lasted some 30 seconds UNLV gave Duke's wisecracking cheering section something to consider.
With Duke down by 5 points, Hunt swooped in from the right side for a jam. Fifteen seconds later he drove in on a break and hit a foul shot. Augmon completed the burst with a dunk off a steal and the Rebels led 21-11. Defense, pure and simple, triggered the spree.
The Rebels had the luxury of going to their bench early, and the results were impressive. Barry Young buried a 10-footer and came right back for a 3-pointer. Stacey Cvijanovich dove for a loose ball. Duke was encountering problems where it least expected them.
Augmon's alley-oop dunk put the Rebels up 41-25 and it was left to Laettner and Abdelnaby to draw Duke within 10. But UNLV had the last word of the half when it was ruled Anthony's closing jumper beat buzzer.
UNLV, ranked No. 2 in the country, defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, Ohio State, Ball State and Loyola Marymount to win the West Regional. The Rebels then knocked off Georgia Tech in the semifinals.
Duke, ranked No. 14, beat Richmond, St. John's, UCLA and Connecticut to win the East Regional. Then the Blue Devils beat Arkansas in the semifinals.
In a commanding show of strength, discipline and sparkle, the Rebels set a record for most points scored in the championship final and left no doubt as to the premier team in college basketball.
'This is what it's all about,' UNLV All-America Larry Johnson said. 'It was a great team victory.'
The Rebels shredded Duke during an 18-0 run in the second half, silencing any prospect the Blue Devils had of winning their first NCAA title in four final game appearances.
Such was the one-sidedness of the contest that by the last few minutes, the players on the Nevada-Las Vegas bench donned T-shirts in tribute to their coach, Jerry Tarkanian.
'Shark Takes a Bite,' the shirt read on the front. 'They Just Couldn't Run with the Rebels,' read the back of the shirt.
All too true.
'I'm just so proud of this team,' Tarkanian said. 'They have played all season with such intensity.'
Before this bombardment, the biggest margin of victory in a championship game came in 1968 when UCLA beat North Carolina 78-55.
This also marked the first time the winning team reached 100 points. And history caught up to Duke on that count. In 1964, UCLA scored 98 points in beating the Blue Devils, a record for points by a winning team that stood until Monday night.
Hunt, whose 3-point shooting carried the Rebels in the semifinals against Georgia Tech, was 12 of 16 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
He backed by Johnson, who delivered 22 points and 11 rebounds. Greg Anthony had 13 and Stacey Augmon 12 as the Rebels shot 61 percent from the floor.
The game was billed as a man-to-man showdown between two of the country's best defensive teams. But this was no showdown. This was strictly a massacre.
UNLV, which played in two previous Final Fours without advancing to the championship game, finished at 35-5 and gave the season a sense of symmetry, having been voted the No. 1 team in preseason.
Duke, 29-9, was led by Phil Henderson with 21 points, while Christian Laettner added 15 and Alaa Abdelnaby 14.
Duke did more than most expected this year, but this game made for another case of Final Four futility for the Blue Devils. They have now played in the Final Four three straight years and in four of the last five. And every time they have come up empty.
This was the third straight game in which Duke faced a killer defensive team. And the strain appeared all too clear.
Nothing was more telling than the 18-0 burst that began with Duke trailing 57-47 and 16 1-2 minutes to go. Then Hunt went to work, scoring 12 points in the run. On consecutive plays he teamed with Augmon to sink layups off the break. His 3-pointer put the Rebels up 75-47 with 13:17 left.
The outcome was sealed. It would not be long before Rebel players were wrestling in jubilation at mid-court.
A sellout crowd at McNichols Sports Arena saw UNLV leave its signature early on with non-nonsense defense that put Duke in an early hole.
The Rebels led 47-35 at the half, and in one sequence that lasted some 30 seconds UNLV gave Duke's wisecracking cheering section something to consider. The lead would grow to 16 before the half was over.
With Duke down by 5 points, Hunt swooped in from the right side for a jam. Fifteen seconds later he drove in on a break and hit a foul shot. Augmon completed the burst with a dunk off a steal and the Rebels led 21-11. Defense, pure and simple, triggered the spree.
The Rebels had the luxury of going to their bench early, and the results were impressive. Barry Young buried a 10-footer and came right back for a 3-pointer. Stacey Cvijanovich dove for a loose ball. Duke was encountering problems where it least expected them.
Augmon's alley-oop dunk put the Rebels up 41-25 and it was left to Laettner and Abdelnaby to draw Duke within 10. But UNLV had the last word of the half when it was ruled Anthony's closing jumper beat buzzer.
UNLV, ranked No. 2 in the country, defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, Ohio State, Ball State and Loyola Marymount to win the West Regional. The Rebels then knocked off Georgia Tech in the semifinals.
Duke, ranked No. 14 in the country, beat Richmond, St. John's, UCLA and Connecticut to win the East Regional. Then the Blue Devils beat Arkansas in the semifinals.
