By David Jordan Jr
Game changers. Trendsetters. Record breakers. Iconic figures. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels winning the NCAA Championship. The 1989-1990 Runnin’ Rebels were the most dominant college basketball team in the history of NCAA basketball.
Many people will present the argument about the John Wooden coached UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s and also about the 1976 University of Indiana team coached by the great Bobby Knight that went undefeated en route to winning their national championship; but when it comes to pure dominance from each side of the court and imposing will upon opponents no team compares to the Rebels of 1990. 
Coached by the late great Jerry Tarkanian, the style of play instituted by coach Tark emphasized a consistency on not only offense but on defense as well that predicated defensive domination.
The starting five of the team, Greg Anthony, Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Anderson Hunt (1990 Final Four Most Outstanding Player) and David Butler were all players that had the ability to put up big numbers offensively every night but it was on the defensive end where this team separated itself and carved its unique place in collegiate basketball history.
Full court pressure and the Amoeba Defense allowed them to dismantle teams in an extremely quick manner. The efforts defensively of Stacey Augmon were unmatchable; every night it was understood that he was going to be covering the best offensive player on the opposing team and that he would shut him down. Guards from the opposing teams would have to work so hard to get the ball across half court from ball pressure from Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt that the opposing team’s offense would be in total disarray from the onset. The boards; undeniably controlled by David Butler, Larry Johnson and Moses Scurry, other teams could simply forget about trying to secure rebounds or driving to the basket against this front line. Offensively this team fed off of their defensive exploits which were fueled in many cases by steals and stop which led to easy transition baskets or easy baskets in the secondary fast break. Anderson Hunt was as sure from the 3 point line as Larry Johnson was of scoring in the paint so teams had a double edged sword to deal with for 40 minutes each night.
The greatness of this team was not only in their dominance; it was in who the dominated. The Rebels played all of the great teams in the NCAA that season starting with a victory over Loyola Marymount, the highest scoring team in NCAA history led by Bo Kimble and the late great Hank Gathers.
Whether on the road or at home the Rebels played against the best; the likes of LSU (led by Chris Jackson(later Mahmoud Abdul-Raouf), Stanley Roberts, Shaquille O’Neal), Arkansas (Todd Day, Oliver Miller, Lee Mayberry), Georgia Tech (Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson), top 25 teams all led by future NBA Lottery Picks and won the majority of these games; the losses being the result of certain players being designated to sit due to NCAA investigating the team for things which turned out to be pointless. No Pre-Season All Americans were selected from the Rebs, yet throughout the season as they dominated opponents, the discussion began as to whether or not they could beat an NBA team (at this time the Los Angeles Clippers were the worst team in the NBA) and this was a valid question. Unlike many of the teams in college basketball in the years since the 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, this team was a mature team. 
The team was comprised of mostly juniors and seniors, which had developed games to go with their developed bodies; this fact would have enabled them to compete with an NBA team unlike the teams of today people seem to think that can beat NBA teams but contain freshmen and sophomores that lack the physical maturity to compete with NBA teams, let alone the skill set. UNLV looked like men playing against their sons in games and this was evident in the final results, from game one to the final game against Duke in the National Championship victory.
As with any great thing, person, player or team, trends develop and styles are set because people want to not only be a part of greatness, but emulate greatness. UNLV paraphernalia and anything related to UNLV and their colors became must haves for everybody across America. 
From kids to adults, UNLV Runnin’ Rebels gear was a necessary accessory. Satin UNLV Starter jackets, the Nike Air Force STS worn by the Rebels and of course the UNLV Starter Hat (remember the old school Jazzy Jeff Commercials; “First You Flip The Hat, then you spin the hat”) were signs of not only style, but signs of being different, being the rebel to defined perception and a sign of greatness.
As much as it was a style to be in UNLV gear, being at the Thomas & Mack Center for UNLV games was as much as a status and style symbol. “Gucci Row” was the place to be; the equivalent to being courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game at the Forum during Showtime, being courtside at a UNLV game was THE thing to do. Frank Sinatra is just one of many celebrities that made it a point to be in attendance at UNLV games to be a part of the greatness being orchestrated by Tark The Shark. 
The hysteria surrounding this team and their nightly performances was validated on April 2, 1990 when UNLV massacred the Duke Blue Devils in the national championship game 103-73. The 30 point victory was and still is the largest margin of victory in a NCAA final game ever. 
Watching the game, one could see that this would not be a close contest from the moment CBS started broadcasting. The confidence and expectancy of victory was evident in the eyes of the players in Rebel uniforms; the nervousness and intimidated expressions were clearly visible on the faces of the players from Duke from pre game introduction and throughout the game (let’s not forget that Duke point guard Bobby Hurley had to run to the locker room during the game due to diarrhea). When the final buzzer sounded the Rebels from UNLV were champs and the Blue Devils of Duke looked as if they were punch drunk.
25 years later, the greatness of that UNLV team still holds it’s on place in not only collegiate basketball history but in basketball history. Salute to Coach Jerry Tarkanian. REBS.
