The Runnin’ Rebels and Coach Jerry Tarkanian blew through the competition to capture UNLV’s only NCAA Basketball Championship
By Ryan K Boman | March 17, 2025
If there’s such a thing as a ‘SuperTeam’ in college basketball, then the 1989-90 UNLV Rebels were definitely it. Led by towel-chomping Coach Jerry Tarkanian, the Runnin’ Rebs racked up points like a pinball machine to capture the school’s only NCAA Basketball Championship.
Known for their high-powered dunks and fantastic finishes, the team produced an impressive highlight reel on a nightly basis. Future number-one overall NBA Draft pick Larry Johnson was the team’s biggest superstar. But the power forward was surrounded by pro-caliber players throughout the entire starting lineup.
As somewhat of a ‘point forward’, Stacey Augmon helped key the squad’s attack. The lanky playmaker teamed alongside another future NBA star, Greg Anthony, to provide points on the perimeter or the perfect feed on a fast break.
Anderson Hunt played off-guard and handled some ball-handling duties, and he would also go on to be named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Tournament that year. Meanwhile, the big man down low was once highly-touted recruit David Butler. It was a veritable all-star team that comprised the Rebels’ starting five.
And with all that talent came not only expectations, but notoriety. UNLV wasn’t just a basketball program out in the desert anymore; they were a ‘glamor team’. One that drew an awful lot of attention from fans, media, and especially NCAA investigators.
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By the time the Rebs reached the title game, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. No matter how pure and polished the Duke Blue Devils were that night, they were no match for the athleticism of UNLV. The Rebels thumped Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team, 103-73, slashing and slamming their way to an easy victory. It would be the school’s first (and only, thus far) national basketball championship.
With all their key players returning for the following season, the Rebels were picked to repeat as champions in 1991. And sure enough, the title game would come down to UNLV vs. Duke once again, this time in the Final Four. History was made that night as the Blue Devils not only shocked the world by defeating Las Vegas but also knocked off an undefeated team. The Runnin’ Rebels had advanced all the way to the title game with a 34-0 record, but that’s where their glory ended. Duke would proceed to win their first national title against Kansas in the Championship Round.
The glory was about to come to an end. Not necessarily at the hands of Duke, mind you… but the loss was certainly the first nail in the coffin. More importantly, the powers that be within the NCAA had begun investigating allegations surrounding the program. There were whispers that UNLV stars had received illegal payouts – several with Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s knowledge.
Photos of players sharing a hot tub with a known gambler and game-fixer surfaced, along with questions about money and cars that had been ‘loaned’ by affluent boosters and casino owners. In the days before the NIL agreement, the NCAA would slam a program if a coach simply bought a kid a free meal. That’s how strict the guidelines were, and UNLV appeared to be playing jump rope with them.
By 1991, Tark the Shark had been forced out of the Nevada-Las Vegas program, and things never really recovered from there. Individual players, holding no accountability, were shuffling off to the NBA or overseas. By then, the damage had already been done. And while the school has always managed to recruit NBA-caliber talent, they’ve never had a perfect mix like they had with their magical championship squad.
Love ’em or hate ’em, that UNLV group was something special. They were the first ‘dream team’ in the modern era of college basketball, and they paved the way for teams like Michigan’s Fab Five just a couple of years later. The Rebels may have only that ONE title to their name, but the talented team that delivered it will be immortalized forever.
Ryan K Boman is the Editor of The Sidearmer and a freelance writer whose work has appeared at The Miami Herald, Heavy, SB Nation, Screen Rant, and Yardbarker. He lives in southern Illinois and is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, and Detroit Lions.
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