1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

Previous season

The Wolverines finished the 1987–88 season 26–8, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. There they defeated Boise State and Florida to advance to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to North Carolina.

Season summary

The team was ranked all eighteen weeks of the season in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll where it began the season at number three, ended at number ten and peaked at number two. and it also ended the season ranked tenth in the final UPI Coaches' Poll.

The team repeated as the national statistical champion in team field goal percentage (56.6%, 1325 of 2341). During the season the team set numerous national and conference records. Glen Rice set the current Big Ten single-game three-point field goals percentage record against Wisconsin on February 25, 1989 (100% most made, 7 of 7). He also broke Mike McGee's Big Ten career points record with 2442, but that was eclipsed in 1993, The team set the following current Big Ten records: single-season points (3393), single-season field goals made (1325), single-season field goals attempted (2341), single-season field goal percentage (.566), single-season field goals percentage (conference games only, .561, 606 of 1,080), and single-season assists (745). Rice and Mark Hughes served as team co-captains and Rice earned team MVP. Rice was also recognized as a consensus All-American. Dave Balza was student manager.

Rice's 949 points established the current school single-season record, surpassing Cazzie Russell's 1966 record of 800. He also set the current single-game field goal percentage record of 100% (7-for-7) against Wisconsin on February 25, 1989, surpassing Garde Thompson's 8-for-9 1986 performance. For the third year in a row, the team established a new Michigan single-season scoring record with 3393 points. For the third of three consecutive seasons, the team set the school single-season total assist record with a total of 745, surpassing the prior total of 694 and establishing the current record. Rice ended his career with 134 games played, which surpassed Gary Grant's 1988 school record of 129 games. Vaught would surpass this record the following year.

The team earned numerous conference statistical championships. Rice won the scoring average championship for conference games only with a 24.8 average as well as the three-point shot championship with 55 in his conference games. Vaught won the field goal percentage title with a 67.7% mark. In addition, the team won scoring offense (87.8), scoring margin (10.3), and three-point field goals made (103).

During the six-game championship tournament run, Rice set the current NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament single-tournament records for points (184), field goals made (75), and three-point field goals made (27) as well as the career record for three-point field goal percentage (minimum 30 made, 56.5%, 35–62). In addition, Rumeal Robinson set the current championship game assists record (11 on April 3, 1989, vs. Seton Hall in overtime) as well as the current final four two-game assist record of 23. The team also set the final four two-game assist record of 42, which would be broken the following year.

In the 64-team NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, number three seeded Michigan won the tournament by defeating the fourteen-seeded Xavier Musketeers 92–87, the six-seeded 91–82, the two-seeded North Carolina, who had ousted them the prior two years, 92–87, the five-seeded Virginia 102–65, the one-seeded Illinois 83–81 and three-seeded Seton Hall 80–79 in overtime. Against North Carolina, the team set the school record of 13 three-point field goals made, which would last until February 22, 1998.

They became the first team in school history to win 30 games. They held the wins record until the 2018 team won 32 games making it to the Final Four. The team continues to rank second in NCAA history in single-season team field goal percentage: 56.6% (1325 of 2341).

Roster

• Steve Fisher

Schedule and results

|- !colspan=9 style=|Non-conference regular season |- !colspan=9 style=|Big Ten regular season |- !colspan=9 style=|NCAA tournament

Rankings

Main article: 1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Statistics

The team posted the following statistics:

Awards and honors

• Glen Rice, NCAA Men's MOP Award

Team players drafted into the NBA

Five players from this team were selected in the NBA draft.

References

References

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34. "1990 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com.