After beating Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Midwest region final on Sunday, March 30, No. 1 seed Michigan basketball is headed to its ninth Final Four appearance, starting with fellow 1-seed Arizona in Indianapolis on Saturday. Here’s a look at the program’s eight previous runs:
1964: Cazzie’s 31 not enough
The dynamic duo of Cazzie Russell (left) and Detroit’s Bill Buntin from Northern High School led the University of Michigan basketball team to national prominence, including an appearance in the NCAA championship game in 1965. Following that season, Buntin was the Detroit Pistons top pick in the 1965 NBA Draft as a territorial selection.
Where: Kansas City, Missouri.
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The path to the Final Four: Michigan opened with a bye, then beat Loyola-Chicago and Ohio in Minneapolis.
The national semifinal: U-M and Cazzie Russell were thumped by Duke, 91-80. Russell scored 31 points and added eight rebounds. He also fouled out, along with two teammates, Bill Buntin and Oliver Dardin. Four Wolverines from this team – Russell, Buntin, Dardin and George Pomey – eventually were drafted by NBA teams.
The consolation game: The Wolverines recovered to beat Kansas State behind 31 points from Buntin.
PRESENT TENSE: Michigan basketball bludgeons Tennessee 95-62 to advance to Final Four
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1965: Bruised by the Bruins
There was little doubt that the late Bill Buntin from Detroit’s Northern High School and the University of Michigan was the man the Detroit Pistons wanted most in the 1965 NBA Draft, when the franchise made him the team’s first pick as a territorial selection.
Where: Portland, Oregon.
The path to the Final Four: Another bye got U-M to the Sweet 16 in Lexington, Kentucky, where they beat Dayton and Vanderbilt. Bill Buntin scored 26 in both games.
The national semifinal: Buntin and U-M beat Bill Bradley and Princeton, 93-76. Cazzie Russell scored 28 points with 10 rebounds and Buntin added 22 points and 14 boards.
The final: The Wolverines were no match for John Wooden’s UCLA buzzsaw, losing 91-80. Russell again went off for 28 points but turned the ball over nine times.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: When is the Final Four? Time, channel and streaming for March Madness
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1976: Hoosier hoedown
Michigan Wolverines forward Phil Hubbard (35) shoots against the Indiana Hoosiers during the 1976 Final Four.
Where: Philadelphia.
The road to the Final Four: U-M squeaked by Wichita State in the Round of 32, then beat Notre Dame and Missouri in Louisville, Kentucky.
The national semifinal: John Robinson scored 20 points and had 16 rebounds to take down Rutgers, 86-70.
The final: U-M led unbeaten Indiana at the half, 35-29, but fell, 86-68.
1989: Yarrrrr, a title at last
With his team trailing Seton Hall by one in overtime, Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson calmly sank two free throws to give the Wolverines the lead. Michigan prevailed 80-79. That night, Glen Rice led the Wolverines with 34 points. (Getty Images)
Where: Seattle.
The road to the Final Four: Amid some pre-Tournament chaos as coach Bill Frieder was fired by Bo Schembechler for taking the Arizona State job and replaced with Steve Frieder, the No. 3 seed Wolverines beat Xavier and South Alabama in Atlanta, then cleared North Carolina and Virginia in Lexington, Kentucky.
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The national semifinal: Michigan prevailed over No. 1 seed Illinois, 83-81, in a Big Ten rematch.
The final: Rumeal Robinson’s free throws in the final seconds of overtime clinched the Wolverines only national title. by beating the Seton Hall Pirates. Glen Rice scored 31 and was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
1992: Fab Five learns a lesson
(From left) Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King will forever be known as the Fab Five.
Where: Minneapolis.
The road to the Final Four: U-M opened in Atlanta with victories over Temple and East Tennessee State, then took down Oklahoma State and Ohio State in Lexington, Kentucky.
The national semifinal: U-M beat Cincinnati, 76-72, as four members of the Fab Five – Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King – scored in double figures.
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The final: Duke senior Grant Hill and the Blue Devils decimated the Fab Five, 71-51, in the title game.
The aftermath: This Final Four appearance was later vacated by the NCAA.
1993: Out of time
ANN ARBOR, MI – FEBRUARY 20: University of Michigan star forward Chris Webber strolls upcourt during a game against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on February 20, 1993 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chris Webber was part of the top recruiting class known as the Fab Five and led Michigan to the NCAA championship game in each of his two years at the college. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Where: New Orleans.
The road to the Final Four: Top-seeded Michigan decimated Coastal Carolina, then squeaked by UCLA in overtime in Tucson, Arizona. U-M then thumped George Washington and Temple in Seattle.
The national semifinal: U-M faced its first opponent seeded higher than seventh, outlasting No. 1 seed Kentucky, 81-78, in overtime behind Chris Webber’s 27 points.
The final: Webber’s U-M career ended with an ill-fated timeout call and a 77-71 loss to North Carolina.
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The aftermath: This Final Four appearance was later vacated by the NCAA.
2013: Dealt out by the Cards
Michigan’s Trey Burke goes airborne against Louisville in the second half during the NCAA championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on April 8, 2013.
Where: Atlanta.
The road to the Final Four: The Wolverines opened close to home, trouncing South Dakota State and VCU at the Palace. U-M then survived Kansas thanks to a Trey Burke buzzer-beater and rolled over Florida in Arlington, Texas.
The national semifinal: U-M’s John Beilein, who made his name at tiny LeMoyne in Syracuse, thumped Syracuse to make the final.
The final: Freshman Spike Albrecht scored 17 points in the first half to give U-M a one-point lead, but Louisville’s Luke Hancock was too much in the second as the Cards won, 82-76.
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The aftermath: Louisville’s title was later vacated.
2018: Donte’s inferno
Michigan head coach John Beilein hugs Michigan forward Moritz Wagner (13) as he leaves the floor during the NCAA division 1 men’s basketball national championship game between Michigan and Villanova on Monday, April 2, 2018, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Where: San Antonio.
The road to the Final Four: It wasn’t exactly the toughest path for the 3-seed Wolverines, with wins over a 14-seed (Montana) and a 6-seed (Houston, on a coast-to-coast buzzer-beater by Jordan Poole) in Wichita, Kansas, followed by wins over a 7-seed (Texas A&M) and a 9-seed (Florida State) in Los Angeles.
The national semifinal: Facing national darling (and 11-seed) Loyola-Chicago, the Wolverines shot just 29% in the first half to trail by seven before Moritz Wagner turned it on in the second, with 13 points, while U-M shot 57.1% for a 69-57 win.
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The final: The Wolverines finally faced a 1-seed, Villanova, and the Wildcats played like one in a 79-67 win, with backup guard Donte DiVincenzo going 10-for-15 (and 5-for-7 on 3s) en route to 31 points.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How many Final Fours has Michigan basketball made?
