5 best NCAA basketball teams that never won the national championship

1. The 1990-91 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were nearly a modern college hoops powerhouse.

Even though traditional blue bloods usually dominate college basketball, we do occasionally see an upstart program shoot to the top of the mountain for a brief period of time. One of the best examples of this phenomenon is the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

A tournament regular by the mid-1980s, UNLV quickly rose to new heights as head coach Jerry Tarkanian assembled an excellent basketball team. Headlined by future NBA players like Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony, the Runnin’ Rebels made their mark in 1990, winning a national championship for the first time.

The majority of that roster came back for the 1990-91 season and took the college basketball world by storm. UNLV went undefeated during the regular season, with their closest game being a seven-point road win at Arkansas, which was ranked no. 2 at the time of the game.

A second national championship seemed like a formality for the Runnin’ Rebels, who survived a second-round scare against Georgetown to get back to the Final Four. UNLV’s opponent there was Duke, who they had beaten by 30 points in the national championship game the previous year.

This edition of the Blue Devils was up for the challenge, however, refusing to get intimidated by UNLV and playing them tough throughout. Duke pulled off the upset, winning by two to deny UNLV a second straight title. The game also proved to be a turning point for UNLV, which was never the same after that, although they do win the crown of the best college basketball team to never win a championship.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.