1968–69 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

The 1968–69 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1968–69 season. The team played its home games at Crisler Arena on the school's campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Under the direction of head coach Johnny Orr, the team finished fourth in the Big Ten Conference.[2] The team was unranked the entire season in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll,[3] and it also ended the season unranked in the final UPI Coaches' Poll.[4] The team defeated two of the seven ranked opponents that it faced (#16 Duke 90–80 on December 9, 1968, at the Kentucky Invitational Tournament held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, and #10 Illinois 92–87 on February 11, 1969, at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois).[2] Ken Maxey served as team captain, while Rudy Tomjanovich earned team MVP.[5] Over the course of the season Tomjanovich led the conference in rebounding with a 12.8 average in conference games.[6] On February 1, 1969, against Loyola, Tomjanovich set the current Michigan Wolverines single-game rebound record with 30, surpassing a record of 27 that he had tied M. C. Burton, Jr. for on December 6, 1967.[7] On January 7, 1969, against Indiana, Tomjanovich, tied Cazzie Russell's school single-game scoring record with 48 points.[8] Based on these two performances, Tomjanovich continues to hold both the school record for single-game points and single-game rebounds. The following season, he would set the career rebound record, which also still stands.[7]

1968–69 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record13–11 (7–7 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
MVPRudy Tomjanovich
CaptainKen Maxey
Home arenaCrisler Arena
Seasons
1968–69 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 Purdue 13 1   .929 23 5   .821
No. 20 Illinois 9 5   .643 19 5   .792
Ohio State 9 5   .643 17 7   .708
Michigan 7 7   .500 13 11   .542
Northwestern 6 8   .429 14 10   .583
Minnesota 6 8   .429 12 12   .500
Michigan State 6 8   .429 11 12   .478
Iowa 5 9   .357 12 12   .500
Wisconsin 5 9   .357 11 13   .458
Indiana 4 10   .286 9 15   .375
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Team players drafted into the NBA

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Three players from this team were selected in the NBA draft.[9][10][11]

Year Round Pick Overall Player NBA Club
1969 4 1 44 Dennis Stewart Phoenix Suns
1970 1 2 2 Rudy Tomjanovich San Diego Rockets
1971 10 16 168 Dan Fife Milwaukee Bucks

References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1968-69 Big Ten Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ a b "Through The Years". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 37. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  3. ^ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  4. ^ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  5. ^ "All-Time Accolades". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "Big Ten Basketball 2009–10 Media Guide". CBS Interactive. p. 34. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  7. ^ a b 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 166.
  8. ^ 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 162.
  9. ^ "1969 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  10. ^ "1970 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  11. ^ "1971 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.