Howard Bryant on Duke vs UNLV 1991: The Upset That Changed College Basketball | 03.31

The Right Time with Bomani Jones

Wave

Music, Sports, News

4.8 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On Time Machine Tuesday, Bomani Jones and Howard Bryant go back to the 1991 Final Four and the stunning upset that turned Duke into college basketball’s ultimate villain. From Jerry Tarkanian’s renegade UNLV program and Larry Johnson’s rock-star Runnin’ Rebels to Christian Laettner’s rise and Coach K’s defining moment, they unpack the racial, cultural, and class tensions that made this more than just a game. They revisit how UNLV “blackened” the sport, why Duke was seen as the clean-cut “Southern Ivy,” the NCAA’s war on Tark, Prop 48 and Prop 42, and why this loss hit so hard for Black America. Plus: was it really fixed, or did Duke just finally stand up to the bully? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:24.2	See times and conditions at Sheila's Wheels.com.
0:35.4	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the right time, a wave original.
0:39.9	My name is Beaumani Jones. Thanks for listening wherever you get your podcast.
0:43.2	Thanks for watching us on YouTube.
0:45.4	Subscribe, like, rate us, review us, give us five stars.
0:48.9	You only give us four stars.
0:50.1	I'm inclined to believe you are a hater.
0:52.5	It is Time Machine Tuesday.
0:55.7	Got my man Howard Bryant on with us,
0:58.4	and we are going to look back on what, quite honestly,
1:02.9	and I don't even really feel bad about saying these,
1:05.8	you know, putting it in these charms,
1:07.5	but was a really sad day for Black America.
1:11.3	And it was when Christian Laytoner, Coach K, Bobby Hurley, and Elm, yeah, Grant Hill,
1:18.1	you get you, you are in the nym part of it.
1:21.0	You hadn't really, you know, made your mark quite so much yet.
1:25.0	They defeated UNLV in the national semi-final round of the NCAA tournament
1:30.8	35 years ago.
	...

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