The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the
intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
. The school competes in the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
in
Division I of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA), and play their home games at
Crisler Center in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
. The Wolverines have won one
NCAA Championship, three
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...
s (NIT), 15 Big Ten regular season titles and four
Big Ten tournaments. One NIT title and one Big Ten tournament were later vacated by the NCAA due to sanctions.
Michigan has had 35
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
ns, selected 48 times. Eight of these have been consensus All-Americans, which are
Cazzie Russell (twice),
Rickey Green,
Gary Grant,
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
,
Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
, as well as
Harry Kipke, Richard Doyle and
Bennie Oosterbaan (twice) who were retroactively selected by the Helms Foundation.
Twelve All-Americans have been at least two-time honorees. Russell was the only three-time All-American.
Seventy-six players have been drafted into the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA); thirty-one of those were first round draft picks, including both
Cazzie Russell and
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
who were selected
first overall. The
1990 NBA draft, in which
Rumeal Robinson was selected 10th,
Loy Vaught was selected 13th, and
Terry Mills was selected 16th made Michigan the third of only ten schools that have ever had three or more players selected in the first round of the same draft.
[ Six players have gone on to become NBA champions for a total of nine times and eight players have become NBA All-Stars a total of 18 times. Rudy Tomjanovich coached both the ]1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
and 1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
NBA Finals champions. Glen Rice is one of only thirteen basketball players to have won a high school state championship, NCAA title and NBA championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
.
During the 1990s Michigan endured an NCAA violations scandal, described as involving one of the largest amounts of illicit money in NCAA history, when Ed Martin loaned four players a reported total of $616,000. Due to sanctions, records starting in the 1992 Final Four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
, the 1992–93 season, and the 1995–96 season through the 1998–99 season were vacated by the NCAA. Throughout this article asterisks denote awards, records and honors that have been vacated.
By the numbers
* All-time wins – 1,731
* All-time winning percentage – *
* NCAA National Championships – 1
* NCAA Final Fours – 8*
* NCAA Elite Eights – 15*
* NCAA Sweet Sixteens – 19*
* NCAA tournament appearances – 32*
* NCAA tournament wins – 68*
* No. 1 seeds in NCAA tournament – 3*
* Conference regular season championships – 15
* Conference tournament championships – 4*
* 30+ win seasons – 5*
* 20+ win seasons – 31*
* Weeks ranked No. 1 in AP poll – 22
* Includes vacated results and accomplishments
History
Early years (1908–19)
As a result of public and alumni demand for a basketball team, Michigan fielded a team of members of the then-current student body and achieved a 1–4 record for the 1908–09 season. However, after three years of demanding a basketball program, the student body did not attend the games and the program was terminated due to low attendance. Basketball returned in 1917 in what was considered the inaugural season of varsity basketball. The team was coached by Elmer Mitchell
Elmer Dayton Mitchell (September 6, 1889 – June 15, 1983) was an American football and basketball coach in Michigan who is considered the father of intramural sports. He was the first varsity basketball coach at the University of Michigan at A ...
who instituted the intramural sports program at Michigan. The team finished 6–12 overall (0–10, Big Ten). The following year Mitchell led the team to a 16–8 (5–5) record.[
]
Mather era (1919–28)
E. J. Mather coached the team to three Big Ten titles in his nine seasons as coach. After inheriting Mitchell's team, which he led to a 10–13 overall (3–9, Big Ten) record during the 1919–20 season, he led the team to an 18–4 overall (8–4, Big Ten) record during the 1920–21 season.[ This 1921 team won its first eight and last eight games to tie the ]Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...
and Purdue Boilermakers
The Purdue Boilermakers are the official college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname ...
for the Big Ten title. The team won back-to-back championships in 1925–26 and 1926–27.[ The 1926 squad, which was captained by Richard Doyle who became the team's first ]All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
, tied with Purdue, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...
for the conference championship. The 1927 team had a new All-American, Bennie Oosterbaan, and won the school's first back-to-back championships and first outright championship with a 14–3 overall (10–2, Big Ten) record.[ Mather died after a lengthy battle with cancer in August 1928.][
]
Veenker era (1928–31)
George F. Veenker compiled the highest overall and highest Big Ten winning percentages of any coach in school history during his three years as coach. He earned 1st(tied), 3rd and 2nd(tied) finishes during his three seasons, which included the 1928–29 conference championship. During Veenker's first season his team compiled a 13–3 overall (10–2, Big Ten) record to win the conference, and Veenker continues to be the only coach in school history to win a conference championship in his first season. The championship team, which finished tied with Wisconsin, was captained by the school's third All-American Ernie McCoy.[ Veenker resigned to become the Iowa State Cyclones football head coach.][
]
Cappon era (1931–38)
Franklin Cappon had a long history of association with Michigan athletics starting with his service as a four-time letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in football and basketball from 1919 to 1923. In 1928, he became assistant football and basketball coach and in 1929 he served as Fielding H. Yost's assistant Athletic Director.[ Although the highlight of Cappon's tenure as coach was a 16–4 (9–3) third place 1936–37 Big Ten finish, he coached John Townsend who in his 1937–38 senior season became last All-American for at least 10 years.] The team finished third in two other seasons with less impressive records of 10–8 overall (8–4, Big Ten) in 1932–33 and 15–5 overall (7–5, Big Ten) 1935–36, and Cappon's overall record was 78–57 overall (44–40, Big Ten).[ A notable captain during the Cappon era was 1933–34 captain Ted Petoskey, a two-time ]football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
All-American end and eventual Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player.
Oosterbaan era (1938–46)
In 1938 Michigan coaching duties were assumed by one of its greatest athletes. Bennie Oosterbaan had been an All-American in both football and basketball and held various coaching positions at Michigan in both of those sports as well as baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
. In basketball, he implemented a fast-paced attack as coach, and his teams' best overall record was 13–7 in 1939–40. That season he tied with his final season for his best Big Ten record at 6–6. He resigned after eight seasons to concentrate on his football coaching duties.
Cowles era (1946–48)
Under Ozzie Cowles, during the 1947–48 season, Michigan ended the longest (19 years) consecutive year period without a conference championship in school history. They also became the first contestants in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...
during Cowles second of two seasons.[ The 1947–48 team posted a 16–6 overall (10–2, Big Ten) record. This team also posted the first undefeated home performance in school history with a 9–0 overall (6–0, Big Ten) record.]
McCoy era (1948–52)
Ernie McCoy became the second former All-American Wolverine player to coach the team.[ Like Oosterbaan before him, he became a football and baseball coach at Michigan. He also served as assistant Athletic Director under Fritz Crisler. During his four seasons as basketball coach, Michigan's best finish was during the 1948–49 season when they finished 15–6 overall (7–5, Big Ten) and earned a third place Big Ten Conference finish. He coached Michigan's first All-Big Ten basketball players that season in Pete Elliot and captain Bob Harrison who were both selected to the first team.][ Harrison returned the following season as the first repeat first-team All-Big Ten basketball player and Elliot was a second-team honoree.] McCoy served as a football scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
at the same time.
Perigo era (1952–60)
Bill Perigo took over the Michigan coaching job after having served three seasons as Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...
basketball coach. Despite previous success as a conference basketball champion coach at Western and subsequent success as a Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...
(MHSAA) champion basketball coach, his Michigan teams endured several mediocre seasons.[ His best Big Ten records came in 1956–57 and 1958–59 when his teams compiled 8–6 conference records. The latter team was tied for second in the conference and was 15–7 overall (8–6, Big Ten).] It also had Perigo's only first-team All-Big Ten athlete in M. C. Burton.[ Team captain and two-time football consensus All-American Ron Kramer was third-team All-Big Ten in 1957 after being second-team All-Big Ten in both 1955 and 1956.]
Strack era (1960–68)
Dave Strack, a former team 1945–46 captain, had become the freshman basketball team coach in 1948 and later had become a variety assistant to Perigo.[ He led the team to three consecutive Big Ten Championships from 1963 to 1966 and a third-place finish in the 1964 NCAA tournament. During 1964–65 the team compiled a 24–4 overall (13–1, Big Ten) record while completing an undefeated 11–0 overall (7–0, Big Ten) home season and was the national runner-up, falling to John Wooden's UCLA in the 1965 championship game. Strack earned ]United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...
(UPI) National Coach of the Year honors. The team ended the season listed number one in both the UPI and Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
(AP) national rankings. He recruited All-Americans Russell and Buntin to anchor his mid-1960s teams. Tomjanovich also became a Wolverine at the end of Strack's career and became second team All-Big Ten in 1968 subsequent later stardom. The 1964 team, which went 23–5 overall (11–3, Big Ten), tied with Ohio State
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
with sophomore Russell and junior Buntin. In 1965, Buntin became the first Wolverine to be drafted by the NBA. In 1966, Russell led the team to its third straight conference championship and NCAA selection on his way to National Player of the Year honors.
Orr era (1968–80)
In Johnny Orr's twelve seasons, he twice (1973–74 and 1976–77) earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors with Big Ten championships. His teams earned four consecutive NCAA selections from 1974 to 1977. The 25–7 overall (14–4, Big Ten) 1976 team lost to an undefeated Indiana team in the NCAA championship game and Orr earned National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...
Coach of the Year honors that season. The 26–4 overall (16–2, Big Ten) 1977 team finished first in both the AP and UPI national rankings, and Orr won Basketball Weekly National Coach of the Year honors. During Orr's tenure, six players earned a total of seven All-American recognitions, which is the most of any Michigan coach.[ Steve Grote became Michigan's only three-time first-team Academic All-American from 1975 to 1977 and with a second team All Big Ten as well as three honorable mentions was the first four-time All-Big Ten honoree.]
Frieder era (1980–89)
Bill Frieder, who had been an assistant coach for seven years, took over from Orr in 1980. He coached the school's first post-season basketball champions during the 1983–84 season and the following two teams were back-to-back conference champions. The 1983–84 team compiled a 24–9 overall (11–7, Big Ten) record on their way to a NIT championship victory over Notre Dame. The 1984–85 team went 26–4 overall (16–2, Big Ten), which earned Frieder Big Ten and AP National Coach of the Year honors. The 1985–86 team, which finished 28–5 overall (14–4, Big Ten), started the season with 16 victories to make a total of 33 consecutive regular season victories. Frieder earned five of Michigan's six consecutive NCAA births from 1985 to 1990, currently the longest streak in program history. Roy Tarpley led the 1985 team as Big Ten MVP.[ After the 1988–89 season, Frieder accepted the head coach's job at Arizona State, but wanted to remain at Michigan for the NCAA tournament. However, when Frieder told athletic director Bo Schembechler of his intentions, Schembechler ordered him to leave immediately, telling him, "I don't want someone from Arizona State coaching the Michigan team. A ''Michigan'' man is going to coach Michigan."]
Fisher era (1989–97)
Frieder's top assistant, Steve Fisher, was named interim coach immediately before the 1989 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the team to six straight victories and the championship. Following the victory, Michigan dropped the "interim" tag from Fisher's title. Two years later, Fisher signed the famous recruiting class known as the Fab Five (Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines' "Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fa ...
, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson). He would take these players to the NCAA championship game as Freshmen and Sophomores. Fisher also won the 1997 NIT tournament with a team that compiled a 25–9 overall (11–5) record.[ Many of Fisher's and the basketball team's accomplishments were tarnished by significant NCAA sanctions. He left the job due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal.]
Ellerbe era (1997–2001)
Brian Ellerbe assumed the title of interim coach less than five months after becoming an assistant coach. He was named full-time coach following the 25–9 (11–5) 1997–98 season in which he led the team to victories over Iowa, Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
and Purdue to capture the Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament championship. His subsequent teams never finished better than seventh in the conference.
Amaker era (2001–07)
Tommy Amaker inherited a team that imposed sanctions on itself after his first year at the helm of the program. Nonetheless, he coached the team to the postseason three times including both an NIT championship in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2006. During the 2005–06, when the team compiled a 22–11 overall (8–8, Big Ten) record, he led them to their first national ranking in eight years when they reached No. 20 in the AP poll. Despite his successes, the team never won a Big Ten Championship and never made the NCAA tournament, which led to his firing after six seasons.[
]
Beilein era (2007–19)
John Beilein's 10–22 overall (5–13 Big Ten) in his inaugural season featured the second most losses in Michigan basketball history. The Wolverines improved in Beilein's second season and posted impressive non-conference victories over top-five ranked opponents UCLA and Duke. Beilein led Michigan to the 2009 NCAA tournament, its first appearance since 1998 and the first that was not vacated since 1995. After upsetting Clemson in the first round, the Wolverines were eliminated by Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
in the round of 32 by a final score of 73–63.
Following a disappointing 15–17 season in 2009–10, the Wolverines bounced back to return to the NCAA tournament in 2011, advancing to the round of 32 before losing to top-seeded Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, 73–71. The 2010–11 Wolverines, who swept rival Michigan State for the first time since 1997, finished the season 21–14. In the 2011–12 season, Michigan split the season series between Ohio State and Michigan State, and was the co-Big Ten champions along with the Buckeyes and Spartans. It was the program's first Big Ten title since 1986. The Wolverines finished the season 24–10 and 13–5 in conference play, losing in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA tournament.
The 2012–13 Michigan team earned a No. 1 ranking in the AP poll on January 28, 2013, marking the first time since November 30, 1992 that Michigan held that position. The team also made program history for the best season start, at 21–2. On March 31, The Wolverines defeated Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
by a score of 79–59 to make their first Final Four appearance since the 1992–93 season. The Wolverines then defeated Syracuse by a score of 61–56 in the Final Four. In the 2013 NCAA tournament national championship game, the Wolverines lost against Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
by the score of 82–76. On February 20, 2018, NCAA confirmed and upheld penalties against Louisville for "arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others." Louisville had to vacate its 2013 national championship, but the NCAA does not retroactively award vacated championships to default winners.
The 2013–14 team had another strong season, winning Michigan's first outright Big Ten championship since 1986 and advancing to the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA tournament, where it lost to Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
75–72. With the departure of several key players to NBA draft, as well as injuries to Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton, the 2014–15 team ended the season with a 16–16 record and a quarterfinals appearance at the Big Ten tournament, but did not make the 2015 NCAA tournament. Despite several injuries before and during the season, the 2015–16 team compiled a 23–13 record and made it to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The team also qualified as a First Four team for the 2016 NCAA tournament, but eventually lost in the round of 64.
During the 2016–17 season, Beilein became the winningest coach in school history, passing Johnny Orr with his 210th win on March 9, with a 75–55 win over Illinois in the opening round of the 2017 Big Ten tournament. Michigan went on to win the tournament, its first since the vacated 1998 title, winning four games in four days as the No. 8 seed and capping it off with a 71–56 championship victory over Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. It was the first time that a No. 8 seed had won the Big Ten tournament. Michigan made the 2017 NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed, defeating Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
and Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Michigan went on to lose to Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
in the round and finished the season with a 26-12 record.
During the 2017–18 season, Beilein's Wolverines again won four games in four days to win back-to-back Big Ten tournament championships for the first time in school history. The team went on to win the West regional title and advance to the Final Four following its win over Florida State
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
, 58–54. The win improved the team's record to 32–7, marking a new school record for victories. Following a Final Four victory over a rising Loyola-Chicago team, Michigan moved on to face Villanova in the 2018 NCAA tournament national championship game. The Wolverines fell short by a score of 79–62, and this brought Michigan’s record in a national championship game to 1–6, the worst record among teams that have previously won a title.
The 2018–19 team started the season on the best run in program history, winning their first 17 games before losing to Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
on the road. The Wolverines finished the regular season third in the Big Ten and earned a No. 2 seed in the 2019 NCAA tournament, despite losing three starters from the previous season's team. The team made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament for a third straight season before losing to No. 3 seed Texas Tech.
On May 13, 2019, in a surprising move, Beilein signed a five-year contract to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
. Beilein led Michigan to a 278–150 record with nine NCAA tournament appearances, including two finishes as the national runner-up. Beilein advocated for a system similar to college football, where a committed player needed to stay in school for at least three years. It was speculated that the rise of " one-and-done" and early NBA Draft entries, which resulted in a trend of more time spent on recruiting and higher turnover of players, contributed to Beilein’s decision to depart from college basketball. Beilein's departure from Michigan was widely regarded as a loss for college basketball.
Howard era (2019–2024)
On May 22, 2019, Fab Five member Juwan Howard was named the head basketball coach of the Wolverines, agreeing on a five-year contract. Despite losing three of their leading scorers from the 2018–19 team to the NBA draft
The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...
, Howard led an unranked Wolverines to a 7–0 start, including back-to-back wins over No. 6 UNC, 73–64, and No. 8 Gonzaga, 82–64, capturing the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament title. Following the strong performance, Michigan jumped from unranked to No. 4 in the AP poll, becoming only the second team after the 1989–90 Kansas Jayhawks to achieve the feat in the 70-year history of the poll. In their first Big Ten game under Howard, the Wolverines defeated Iowa 103–91 and scored their most points in a Big Ten game since 1998 (112 against Indiana). They achieved the No. 9 seed in the 2020 Big Ten tournament, but their first game, against No. 8 seed Rutgers
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
, was cancelled due to the COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic.
On March 4, 2021, the 2020–21 Wolverines clinched the regular season Big Ten title with a 69–50 victory over instate rival Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
. Michigan ended the regular season with a 23–5 overall record and a 14–3 conference record (.823 conference winning percentage). Michigan's Big Ten regular season championship was their first since 2014. The Wolverines received an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East region, where they defeated No. 16 Texas Southern and No. 8 LSU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
to advance to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen. They then defeated No. 4 Florida State
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
before being upset by No. 11 UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
in the Elite Eight.
The 2021–22 Wolverines finished the regular season with a 17–13 overall record (11–9 Big Ten) and lost their first game of the Big Ten tournament to Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. Michigan managed to make the 2022 NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed, beating No. 6 Colorado State and No. 3 Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for a fifth consecutive season. In the round Michigan lost to Villanova to end their tournament.
In each of the following two seasons, the Wolverines failed to make the NCAA tournament with Howard. It was the first time Michigan did not make the NCAA tournament in back-to-back years since the 2007–08 team. On March 15, 2024, after losing a program record 24 games, the university announced it was parting ways with Howard after five years.
May era (2024–present)
On March 23, 2024, Dusty May was named the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan. In his first month, he led the 2024–25 Wolverines to being the Fort Myers Tip-Off champions, and ranked inside the top 15 of the AP poll for the first time since November 2021. Michigan finished the regular season tied for second place at 14–6 in the conference and earned the No. 3 seed in the 2025 Big Ten tournament. On March 16, the Wolverines won the Big Ten tournament against Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, their first tournament title since 2018. May became the first officially recognized conference coach to win the Big Ten tournament title in their first season, with the only other being Brian Ellerbe in Michigan’s first win in 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
; though that season was later vacated by the NCAA. May also won the most total games and conference games in program history for a first-year head coach. Michigan received an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South Region.On March 20, the Wolverines defeated No. 12 seed UC San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...
, 68–65, in the First Round. With 26 wins, May became the winningest first-year head coach in program history. On March 22, Michigan defeated No. 4 seed Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
in the Second Round 91–79, winning a fifth consecutive postseason game. No team in NCAA history has ever lost as many games the season before and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen the next year (since introduced in 1975). On March 28, Michigan lost to the No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the regional semifinal, 65–78. The Wolverines finished the year 27–10, an increase of 19 wins from the previous season.
Championships
NCAA National Championships
Big Ten regular season championships
+ Conference co-champions
Big Ten tournament championships
Rivalries
* Duke–Michigan
* Michigan–Michigan State
* Michigan–Ohio State
Record against Big Ten opponents
Totals through March 16, 2025
Fab Five
The Fab Five, the 1991 recruiting class of five freshman starters, were Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines' "Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fa ...
, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. They were notable for having gone to the championship game of the 1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
and 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the champi ...
as freshmen and sophomores, for having started the trend of wearing baggy gym shorts, which was later popularized by Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
, and for wearing black athletic socks.[ Due to the issues found with Webber’s eligibility in the Ed Martin scandal, the records from their 1992 Final Four appearance and the entire following season have been vacated.][ Although Webber was the only member of the Fab Five officially implicated with the scandal, the reputation of the whole group has been tarnished. Webber (1993), Howard (1994) and Rose (1992, 1994) were college basketball All-Americans.] and both King (1995 3rd team and 1993 & 1994 honorable mention) and Jackson (1995 2nd team & 1994 honorable mention) achieved All-Big Ten honors.[ All but Jackson played in the NBA.] They were the subject of Mitch Albom's book, ''Fab Five: Basketball, Trash Talk, the American Dream'', which at one point was under development by Fox Television as a made-for-television movie. In March 2011 ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
broadcast a documentary, '' Fab Five'', that was the network's highest-rated in its history.
Ed Martin scandal
During the University of Michigan basketball scandal the Big Ten Conference, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
, and United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
investigated the relationship between the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, its men's basketball teams and basketball team booster Ed Martin. The program was punished for NCAA rules violations, principally involving payments booster Martin made to several players to launder money
Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds in ...
from an illegal gambling
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...
operation. It is one of the largest incidents involving payments to college athletes in American collegiate history. It was described as one of the three or four worst violations of NCAA bylaws
A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authority. The higher authority, generally a legislature or some other ...
in history up to that time by the NCAA infractions committee chairman and the largest athlete payment scandal ever by ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.[
The case began when the investigation of an automobile rollover accident during Mateen Cleaves' 1996 ]Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...
recruiting trip revealed a curious relationship between Martin and the team. Several Michigan basketball players were implicated over the next few years and by 1999 several were called before a federal grand jury. Four eventual professional basketball players (Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
, Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and was ...
, Robert Traylor and Louis Bullock
Louis "Lou" Bullock Jr. (born May 20, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player.
Although his records have officially been vacated, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for mos ...
) were discovered to have borrowed a total of $616,000 from Martin.[ During the investigation, Webber claimed not to have had any financial relationship with Martin. Eventually he confessed to having accepted some of the money he was charged with having borrowed. For his ]perjury
Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...
during a federal grand jury investigation, he was both fined in the legal system and briefly suspended by National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
after performing public service.
In 2002, the university punished itself when it became apparent that its players were guilty by declaring itself ineligible for post season play immediately, returning post season play monetary rewards, vacating five seasons of games, removing commemorative banners, and placing itself on a two-year probation. The following year, the NCAA accepted these punishments, doubled both the probation period and the post-season ineligibility, penalized the school one scholarship for four seasons, and ordered disassociation from the four guilty players until 2012. The disassociation formally ended on May 8, 2013. The additional year of post-season ineligibility was overturned on appeal.
The punishment cost the 2002–03 team its post-season eligibility, cost past teams the 1997 National Invitation Tournament and the 1998 Big Ten tournament championships as well as 1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
and 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the champi ...
Final Four recognition. It cost Traylor his MVP awards in the 1997 NIT and 1998 Big Ten tournament, as well as Bullock's standing as the school's third all-time leading scorer and all-time leader in 3-point field goals. Steve Fisher lost his job as Michigan head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
as a result of the scandal.[
]
Head coaching history and current staff
Personnel
Current coaching staff
Current record
Honored players and coaches
Below are lists of important players and coaches in the history of Michigan Wolverines men's basketball. It includes lists of major awards and retired numbers. The honors include: Helms Foundation Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy
The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...
, Wooden Award, Associated Press Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year
The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball across the three largest college athletic associations in the United States. Th ...
, Oscar Robertson Trophy
The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I men's basketball player by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), first presented in 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season, 19 ...
, NCAA tournament MOP, National Invitation tournament MVP, Big Ten tournament MVP, Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball, Big Ten Player of the Year, All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
, Wayman Tisdale Award, Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award, sponsored by the College of the Holy Cross, is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Assoc ...
, UPI Coach of the Year, Henry Iba Award
The Henry Iba Award was established in 1959 to recognize the best college basketball coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the ...
, NABC Coach of the Year
The NABC Coach of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top head coach in men's college basketball across the four largest college athletic associations in the United States. ...
, AP Coach of the Year.
Retired numbers
The program has officially retired one number only:[Retired numbers and honored jerseys]
on MGBlue
Honored Jerseys
Jerseys honored but numbers still active:[
]
Awards and honors
National Player of the Year
*1966 – Cazzie Russell ''(AP, USBWA, UPI, Helms, The Sporting News)''
*2013 – Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
''(AP, USBWA, NABC, Naismith, Wooden)''
Wayman Tisdale Award
*1992 – Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
Bob Cousy Award
*2013 – Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
NCAA tournament MOP
*1989 – Glen Rice
National Invitation Tournament MVP
*1984 – Tim McCormick
*1997 – Robert Traylor*
*2004 – Daniel Horton
Big Ten tournament MVP
*1998 – Robert Traylor*
*2017 – Derrick Walton
*2018 – Moritz Wagner
*2025 – Vladislav Goldin
Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
*1965 – Cazzie Russell
*1966 – Cazzie Russell
*1974 – Campy Russell
*1985 – Roy Tarpley
*1988 – Gary Grant
*1989 – Glen Rice
Big Ten Player of the Year
*1985 – Roy Tarpley
*1988 – Gary Grant
*1989 – Glen Rice
*2013 – Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
*2014 – Nik Stauskas
Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Stauskas played two seasons of college basketball for the Mi ...
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
*1985 – Gary Grant
*1992 – Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
*1995 – Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and was ...
*2000 – LaVell Blanchard
*2003 – Daniel Horton
*2012 – Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
*2019 – Ignas Brazdeikis
*2021 – Hunter Dickinson
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
*1987 – Gary Grant
*1988 – Gary Grant
Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year
*2018 – Duncan Robinson
All-Americans
*1924 – Harry Kipke (c)
*1926 – Richard Doyle (c)
*1927–28 – Bennie Oosterbaan (c 1927, 1928)
*1929 – Ernie McCoy
*1929 – Joseph Truskowski
*1937–38 – John Townsend
*1948 – Pete Elliott
Peter R. Elliott (September 29, 1926 – January 4, 2013) was an American football player and coach. Elliott served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (1956), the University of California, Berkeley (1957–1959), ...
*1957 – Ron Kramer
*1964–65 – Bill Buntin
*1964–66 – Cazzie Russell (c 1965, 1966)
*1970 – Rudy Tomjanovich
*1972 – Henry Wilmore
*1974 – Campy Russell
*1977 – Rickey Green (c)
*1977 – Phil Hubbard
*1985–86 – Roy Tarpley
*1987–88 – Gary Grant (c 1988)
*1989 – Glen Rice
*1990 – Rumeal Robinson
*1993 – Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
(c)
*1994 – Juwan Howard
*1994 – Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines' "Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fa ...
*1998 – Robert Traylor
*2013 – Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
(c)
*2014 – Nik Stauskas
Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Stauskas played two seasons of college basketball for the Mi ...
*2021 – Hunter Dickinson
National Coach of the Year
*1965 – Dave Strack ''(UPI)''
*1976 – Johnny Orr ''(NABC, USBWA)''
*1977 – Johnny Orr ''(Basketball Weekly)''
*1985 – Bill Frieder ''(AP, Basketball Weekly)''
*1992 – Steve Fisher ''(Basketball Times)''
*2021 – Juwan Howard ''(AP, SN, USBWA)''
Big Ten Coach of the Year
*1974 – Johnny Orr
*1977 – Johnny Orr
*1985 – Bill Frieder
*2014 – John Beilein
*2021 – Juwan Howard
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers
Two former Wolverines have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
.
NBA draft picks and active alumni
NBA draft picks
First round NBA draft picks
Active alumni in the NBA
* Kobe Bufkin - Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
* Moussa Diabaté – Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...
* Tim Hardaway Jr. – Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
* Caleb Houstan – Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
* Jett Howard - Orlando Magic
* Caris LeVert – Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
* Jordan Poole – Washington Wizards
* Duncan Robinson – Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...
* Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic
* Mo Wagner – Orlando Magic
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The University of Michigan has an all-time 68–31* (61–27) record overall and 1–6* (1–4) championship game record in the NCAA tournaments in 32* (29) appearances. Glen Rice holds the NCAA single-tournament scoring record with 184 points in 1989. The 1992 Final Four and all 1993, 1996, & 1998 games have been vacated due to NCAA sanctions.[
]
NCAA tournament seeding history
The NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
began seeding the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...
with the 1979 edition. The 64-team field started in 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
, which guaranteed that a championship team had to win six games.
NCAA tournament round history
NIT results
In 11* (10) National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...
appearances, Michigan is 26*–8 (21–8) overall all-time and 3*–1 (2–1) in the championship game. 17*–0 (15–0) at Crisler Arena and 8*–2 (6–2) at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
.[ The 1997 tournament was forfeited due to NCAA sanctions.]
Statistics
;National records:
*Most different players to make a Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two ...
in game: 9 vs. Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...
, December 13, 2008 (tied Dartmouth, 1993)
*Combined team rebounds:[ 152, Michigan (57) vs. ]Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
(95) March 11, 1961
; NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament records
*Single-game rebounds (Since 1973): 26—Phil Hubbard, Michigan vs. Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, RSF, Mar 17, 1977
*Single-year points 184—Glen Rice, Michigan, 1989 (6 games)[
*Single-year field goals made 75—Glen Rice, Michigan, 1989 (6 games)][
*Single-year three-point field goals made 27—Glen Rice, Michigan, 1989 (6 games)][
*Career three-point field goals percentage (Minimum 30 made) 56.5% (35–62)—Glen Rice, Michigan, 1986–89 (13 games)][
*Single-game points, Both Teams 264—]Loyola Marymount
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...
(149) vs. Michigan (115), 2nd R, Mar 18, 1990[
*Fewest single-game three-point field goals made, team (]final four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
): 0, *Michigan vs. Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, NSF, March 4, 1993 (ot)
*Fewest single-game three-point field goals attempted, team (final four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
): 4, *Michigan vs. Kentucky, NSF, March 4, 1993 (ot)[
*Single-game assists (in a championship game): 11, Rumeal Robinson, Michigan vs. ]Seton Hall
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...
, March 4, 1989 (ot)
*Fewest single-game three-point field goals made, team (championship game): 1, *Michigan vs. Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, CH, June 4, 1992
*Fewest single-game free throws made (in a win), team: 0, Michigan vs. Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, Mar 18, 2011
*Lowest single-game three-point field goal percentage, team (championship game): 9.1% (1–11), *Michigan vs. Duke, CH, June 4, 1992[
*Biggest margin of victory in 8 vs. 9 match-up: 30, Michigan vs. Tennessee, Mar 18, 2011
*Single-year two-game assists (final four): 23, Rumeal Robinson, Michigan, 1989]
;Selected former NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament records
*Single-game free throws made (final four): 15, Bill Buntin, Michigan vs. Kansas State, N3d, Mar 21, 1964 (broken Mar 20, 1965)
*Fewest single-game three-point field goals made, team (final four): 1, *Michigan vs. Duke, CH, June 4, 1992 (broken March 4, 1993)[
*Lowest single-game three-point field goal percentage, team (final four): 9.1% (1–11), *Michigan vs. Duke, CH, June 4, 1992 (broken January 4, 2006)][
*Most single-game players disqualified, team (championship game): 3, Michigan vs. ]UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
, Mar 20, 1965 (broken Mar 31, 1997)[
*Single-year two-game assists, team (final four): 42, Michigan, 1989 (broken 1990)][
;National statistical champions:
*Team field goal percentage:] 54.6% (1198 of 2196), 1988; 56.6% (1325 of 2341), 1989
;Selected notable statistics:
*30-win seasons: 2019 (30), 2018 (33), 2013 (31), 1993* (31), 1989 (30)
*1989 team continues to rank second in single-season team field goal percentage: 56.6% (1325 of 2341).
;Current Big Ten records:
*Career field goals attempted: Mike McGee (2077, 1978–81)
*Career three-point field goals made: Louis Bullock
Louis "Lou" Bullock Jr. (born May 20, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player.
Although his records have officially been vacated, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for mos ...
(339*, 1996–99)[
*Single-game three-point field goals percentage (100% most made): Glen Rice (7 of 7, vs. ]Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
February 25, 1989)[
*Single-season points, team: (3393, 1988–89)]
*Single-game field goals made, team: (55, vs. Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
October 3, 1990)[
*Single-season field goals made, team: (1325, 1988–89)][
*Single-season field goals attempted, team: (2341, 1988–89)][
*Single-season field goal percentage, team: (.566, 1,325 of 2,341, 1988–89)][
*Single-season field goal percentage, team (conference games only): (.561, 606 of 1,080, 1988–89)][
*Single-game three-point field goals attempted, team: (42, vs. Florida Gulf Coast December 22, 2008)][
*Single-game three-point field goals attempted, team (conference games only): (40, at Indiana 1/7/09)][
*Single-season three-point field goals attempted, team: (912, 2008–09)][
*Single-season three-point field goals attempted, team (conference games only): (471, 2008–09)][
*Single-season rebounds, team: (1521, 1964–65)]
*Single-game assists, team: (37, vs. Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...
July 12, 1987 and vs. Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...
December 12, 1987)[
*Single-game assists, team (conference games only): (36, vs. Iowa March 2, 1988)]
*Single-season assists, team: (745, 1988–89)[
*Single-game blocked shots, team: (18, vs. Florida Southern July 12, 1985)][
*Single-season free throw percentage (conference games only): Daniel Horton (.978 (89 of 91), 2006)]
*Single-season personal fouls, team: (456, 1953)[
*Single-season overtime games: (6, 1981)][
;Selected former Big Ten records:
*Career points: Mike McGee (2439, 1977–81, broken in 1989), Glen Rice (2442, 1985–89, broken in 1993)][
*Career points (conference games only): McGee (1503, 1977–81, broken in 1995)]
*Single-game field goals made: John Tidwell (20, vs. Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
April 3, 1961, broken February 16, 1963)[
*Single-season field goals made: Cazzie Russell (308, 1965–66, broken 1981), McGee (309, 1980–81, broken in 1986)][
*Career field goals made: Russell (839, 1964–66, broken 1970), McGee (1010, 1978–81, broken in 1993)][
*Single-game three-point field goals made: Garde Thompson (9, vs. ]Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
December 3, 1987, broken February 23, 2003)[
*Single-game points, team: 128 (vs. ]Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
February 19, 1966, broken December 30, 2006)[
*Single-game field goals made, team: (52, vs. Purdue February 19, 1966, broken December 19, 1972)][
*Single-season field goals made, team: (1198, 1987–88, broken 1989)][
*Single-season assists, team: (694, 1987–88, broken 1989)][
*Single-season blocked shots, team: (193, 1992–93*, surpassed 2000)][
*Single-season field goals made per game (conference games only): Russell (13.0 (182 in 14), 1966, broken 1969)][
*Single-season rebounds (total and per game) (conference games only): M. C. Burton (249 in 14 games, 1959, broken 1960)][
*Single-season points per game, team (conference games only): 92.9 (1965 (1,300 in 14), broken 1966)]
*Single-season points per game, team (conference games only): 95.4 (1966 (1,336 in 14), broken 1969)[
*Single-season three-point field goals attempted, team (conference games only): (434, 2007–08)][
*Single-game three-point field goal percentage, team (conference games only):.875 (7 of 8, vs. Iowa March 2, 1988, broken April 2, 1988)][
;Big Ten statistical champions (individual):
*Scoring (Conference games only until 1990):] 1928 Bennie Oosterbaan 129; 1959 M.C. Burton 22.6; 1966 Cazzie Russell 33.2; 1974 Campy Russell 24.0; 1988 Glen Rice 22.9; 1989 Rice 24.8
*Field goal Percentage (Conference games only until 1990):[ 1966 Cazzie Russell .542; 1967 Dave McClellan .588; 1971 Ken Brady .617; 1975 John Robinson .603; 1979 Marty Bodnar .603; 1989 Loy Vaught .677; 2001 Chris Young .640 (all games); 2006 ]Courtney Sims
Courtney Sims (born October 21, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a center. He now runs the basketball program Team Sims Basketball located in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
Early career
Sims played his college ball a ...
.633 (all games)
*Three-point field goals: 1989 Glen Rice 55 (conference games); 1991 Demetrius Calip 48 (conference games); 1998 Louis Bullock
Louis "Lou" Bullock Jr. (born May 20, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player.
Although his records have officially been vacated, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for mos ...
51* (conference games); 1999 Robbie Reid 49 (conference games); 1997 Louis Bullock 101* (all games); 1998 Louis Bullock 93* (all games)
*Three-point field goal percentage: 1998 Louis Bullock .481* (conference games); 1999 Robbie Reid .458 (conference games); 2003 LaVell Blanchard .433 (conference games)[
*Free throw percentage: 1975 C.J. Kupec .880 (conference games); 1997 Louis Bullock .893* (conference games); 2006 Daniel Horton .978 (conference games); 2007 Dion Harris .873 (conference games); 1998 Louis Bullock .911* (all games); 1999 Louis Bullock .864* (all games); 2006 Daniel Horton .901 (all games)][
*Rebounds: 1959 M.C. Burton 17.8 (conference games); 1963 Bill Buntin 15.4 (conference games); 1969 Rudy Tomjanovich 12.8 (conference games); 1970 Rudy Tomjanovich 16.2 (conference games); 1985 Roy Tarpley 9.9 (conference games); 1990 Loy Vaught 10.7 (conference games); 1992 ]Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
-FR 9.8* (conference games); 1993 Chris Webber 9.7* (conference games); 1990 Loy Vaught 11.2; 1992 Chris Webber-FR 10.0*; 1993 Chris Webber 10.1*
*Assists: 1988 Gary Grant 6.5 (conference games); 1990 Rumeal Robinson 6.1 (all games); 2013 Trey Burke
Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–1 ...
6.7 (all games)[
*Steals: 1987 Gary Grant 2.67 (conference games); 1988 Gary Grant 2.72 (conference games)][
*Blocked shots: 1986 Roy Tarpley 2.50 (conference games); 1989 Terry Mills 1.22 (conference games); 2008 Ekpe Udoh 2.67 (conference games); 2004 ]Courtney Sims
Courtney Sims (born October 21, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a center. He now runs the basketball program Team Sims Basketball located in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
Early career
Sims played his college ball a ...
2.00 (all games); 2008 Ekpe Udoh 2.88 (all games)[
;Big Ten statistical champions (team, conference games only):
*Scoring offense:] 1946 55.1, 1965 92.9, 1966 95.4, 1971 88.4, 1972 81.8, 1976 85.8, 1977 83.2, 1987 86.7, 1989 87.8, 1997* 73.3,
*Scoring defense:[ 1948 46.3, 1952 56.2, 1964 75.5
*Scoring margin:][ 1948 7.6, 1964 10.3, 1965 12.2, 1966 9.9, 1977 9.4, 1985 8.8, 1986 10.6, 1989 10.3
*Field goal percentage offense:] 1966 48.9, 1972 45.3, 1976 52.1, 1989 56.1, 2013 46.9, 2017 48.3
*Field goal percentage defense:[ 1995 39.4
*Three-point field goals:][ 1987 89, 1989 103, 1991 118, 1998* 121, 2009 151
*Three-point field goal percentage:][ 1998 40.1, 2003 37.5
*Free throw percentage:][ 1958 73.4, 1975 75.8, 2017 77.9
*Rebounds:] 1963 49.0, 1965 49.5, 1972 51.6, 1983 34.4, 1986 35.1, 1992 38.2, 1993* 40.9
*Rebounding margin:[ 1986 5.8, 1992 5.8, 1993* 7.6, 2004 3.4
*Steals:][ 1986 8.61
*Blocked shots:][ 1986 3.94, 1993* 5.0, 2004 4.31, 2008 4.28
*Turnover margin:][ 2017 3.4
]
Rankings
Michigan teams have spent a total of 22 weeks ranked No. 1, with the last occurrence in 2013. Two Michigan teams have defeated the No. 1 ranked team: against Wichita State on December 14, 1964 and Duke on December 13, 1997.
The following table summarizes Michigan’s history in the AP poll:
Notes
See also
*List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...
* NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by school
*NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bids by school
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...
* NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bids by school and conference
* NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament all-time team records
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball