2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
team represented the University of Michigan
in competitive college basketball
during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I season. The 2008–09 season marked the team's ninety-second consecutive season as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
's (NCAA) Big Ten Conference
. The team finished the season with a 21–14 overall record and a 9–9 conference record. The 9–9 conference record tied for seventh place in the 2008–09 Big Ten conference standings
. Michigan was seeded seventh in the single-elimination 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
where it advanced one round. They were seeded tenth in the South Regional bracket of the single-elimination 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
, where it also advanced one round before losing to the Blake Griffin
-led Oklahoma Sooners. C.J. Lee and David Merritt served as team co-captain
s, and Manny Harris
and DeShawn Sims
shared team MVP honors.
The 2008–09 season marked a turnaround for the team for several reasons. The team rebounded from a 10–22 overall record and a 5–13 conference record during the previous 2007–08 season
. The season was highlighted by the team's first two wins in eleven years against teams ranked
among the top five in the AP Poll
, and by the team's first trip to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament since the 1998 Tournament
. Although the team had appeared in the 1998 NCAA tournament, the last appearance in the NCAA tournament that had been recognized in official NCAA records as not having been tainted by the University of Michigan basketball scandal
was their 1995 Tournament
appearance. The team was in its first year off scholarship probation, which following the scandal had restricted the number of available scholarships. However, the team continued to be prohibited from affiliating with implicated athletes (Chris Webber
, Robert Traylor
, Maurice Taylor
, and Louis Bullock
) until 2012, which meant, among other things, that the players could not help the University recruit. The team began the season unranked, but in December 2008 it earned its first place in the top 25 since February 2006. As the season progressed, the team adopted the slogan
"Queme los barcos", which is Spanish for "burn the ships", as a reminder that there was no turning back.
For the forty-second consecutive season, the team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan
at the Crisler Arena
, which has a capacity of 13,751. John Beilein
was in his second season as head coach with the team during the 2008–2009 season. At the conclusion of the season, guard Manny Harris
was named to the All-Big Ten first team, and forward DeShawn Sims
was selected by the Big Ten media to the second team and chosen by the Big Ten coaches for the third team.
Their 2008–09 pre-conference schedule included Atlantic Coast Conference
members Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils, who went on to win the 2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
. The team also played against geographical rival and the preseason #2 ranked Connecticut Huskies
.
Unlike conference rivals Michigan State
, Purdue
, and Wisconsin, Michigan was not ranked in the top 25 by either the Associated Press
or the ESPN
/USA Today
preseason polls. In fact, the team did not even receive any votes, like rival Ohio State, in either poll. Pre season reports described the team as a contender for fifth place in the conference. Although the team was building from a 10–22 record, it won five of its last ten games the prior year. A poll of 22 members of the media published in the Detroit Free Press
ranked Michigan eighth in the conference. The Sports Illustrated
2008 College Basketball Preview issue did not select the team as one of the five predicted Big Ten teams (the four mentioned above and the Minnesota Golden Gophers
) to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
On May 5, 2008, sophomore Epke Udoh, the Big Ten's top shotblocker
, decided to transfer for his final two years of athletic eligibility. Beilein attempted to replace Udoh with Robin Benzing
, a member of Germany's national youth team. However, Benzing failed to meet the NCAA's initial-eligibility guidelines and did not play. Beilein was able to partially solve the problem of complimenting Manny Harris by luring point guard
Laval Lucas-Perry to transfer from Arizona
. Perry became eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester. The team anticipated relying on 7 feet (2.1 m) freshman center
Ben Cronin to make up for the loss of Udoh and Ron Coleman, who averaged over 21 minutes each of his four seasons. Including Cronin, the team had three incoming recruits.
Michigan granted two of its scholarships to fifth-year redshirt
graduate students C.J. Lee and David Merritt in September. Lee and Merritt had both been 2007–08 Big Ten Academic All-Conference selections. The varsity roster included fourteen players, thirteen of whom saw live game action. In December, the Wolverines made the decision to redshirt Ben Cronin after only 10 minutes of play. He had hip surgery on January 14.
– denotes class status adjusted for used redshirt
eligibility.
The incoming class had no four- or five-star recruits. However, it included three players that Rivals.com
listed as three-star recruits. Only Ben Cronin was also listed as three-star by scout.com
.
and two Division I recruit teammates led Windward High School to the California Division V state title. Darius Morris received MVP of Olympic League, CIF Division 5A Southern Section Player of Year, and CIF Division 5A State Player of Year. Also Darius was awarded a John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award, received by Jrue Holiday
the year before and the likes of Jason Kapono
and Tayshaun Prince
in the past.
Matt Vogrich won the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award, following in the footsteps of Derrick Rose
and Jon Scheyer
. Unlike Scheyer and Rose, he did not win Illinois Mr. Basketball
. Kelvin Grady announced his intent to transfer at the end of the seaason.
RV-Receiving votes
the basketball. The team ranked among the national leaders in three point shots made per game. The ballhandling ability was a function of the Michigan lineup which often employed four guards and one center/forward, which meant that at any time the team had several adept ballhandlers on the court. By the end of the season, the starting lineup usually included four players 6 in 5 in (1.96 m) or shorter and Sims who is 6 in 8 in (2.03 m). As a team that relied on the three point shot, it was streaky and was susceptible to hot and cold stretches. The team relied on a deep bench and had 10 players who averaged 10 minutes per game. Even the eleventh player averaged 9.6 minutes. The offense used patient ball movement with backdoor cutters and slashers, which necessitated that defenses chase shooters and peel off picks. The offense resulted in a shot mix that employed three pointers for about 48% of its shots.
On defense, the team was known for employing Beilein's trademark trapping 1–3–1 halfcourt zone defense
, which required opponents to be skilled at perimeter passing. The zone defense was generally employed after made baskets and dead-ball situations. After offensive misses or turnovers, the Wolverines relied on man-to-man defense
. Depending on the matchups the team also used a 2–3 zone defense
because the team did not have the type of athletes necessary to play on the wings of his 1–3–1. It employed the 1–3–1 less later in the season, and about ten percent of opponent possessions altogether. In total, the team used some sort of zone defense
about 40 percent of the time. The team was also among the top 35 (of over 300) in the nation in terms of three point shot defense.
. The team also set the current Big Ten Conference single-game three point field goals attempted record of 42 on December 22, 2008 against Florida Gulf Coast and the conference games record of 40 on January 7, 2009 againsst Indiana
. Over the course of the season the team set the current Big Ten Conference single-season three point field goals attempted record if 912 as well as the single-season conference games record of 471. The team led the Big Ten Conference with 151 three point field goals made in conference games.
The team set several current school records. Its single-season total of 305 three point field goals made surpassed the 1998 school record total of 260. The team’s single game total of 16 three point field goals made against on December 13, 2008 surpassed the school record 15 made on February 22, 1998. The team also established the school’s single-season free throw percentage record of 75.7% (412–544) surpassed the 75.4% set in 2002.
Although the Big Ten Network had a two and a half hour special that featured Midnight Madness
events from several Big Ten campuses on October 17, 2008, the Michigan Wolverines were not a featured part of the show. Michigan began the season with Ben Cronin suffering from a torn acetabular labrum
(hip joint) and considering redshirting
. The team started its season as the host of a 2K Sports College Hoops Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
tournament regional in which they defeated the and at Crisler Arena. Manny Harris won the second Big Ten Player of the week award of his career for his performances during these games.
The first two victories qualified Michigan to appear in the tournament final four at the Madison Square Garden
where the unranked Wolverines team upset the #4 ranked UCLA Bruins men's basketball
team for its first win over a top-five team in eleven years on November 20, 2008. The 55–52 win also ended a twelve-game losing streak against ranked opponents. During the game, Michigan forced 17 UCLA turnovers with its 1–3–1 zone defense. Nonetheless, Michigan fell behind by as many as 10 points at one point in the game. In the first half, the Wolverines shot 31.3% from the field, and in the second half, they shot 61.9%, including 4 of 8 on three point shots. Michigan trailed by two with 4 minutes and 16 seconds left before Stu Douglass made a three point basket and Sims scored a few possessions later after a steal. In the final seconds UCLA's Nikola Dragovic hit a 3-point shot with five seconds left to reduce Michigan's four-point lead to one. Then UCLA sent Harris to the line where he made two free throws. In the final seconds Michigan defended an attack by Darren Collison
who had his final shot blocked by Harris. At that point in the season, Michigan used DeShawn Sims as a sixth man
. He played 28 minutes off the bench and led the team in scoring with 18 while being tied for the lead with 5 rebounds. Despite losing to #10 ranked (#5 in the Coaches' Poll) Duke the following night, the Wolverines began receiving votes in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings for the week of November 24.
The team earned a pair of non-conference victories against and Savannah State
. In the Savannah St. game, Sims made a jump shot from the corner as time expired to win the game in overtime. Michigan had trailed by 20 at halftime, but scored the first 15 points of the second half. Next, the team was matched up against the Maryland in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, where they lost on December 3. The Maryland game marked Sims' entry into the starting lineup.
On December 6, 2008 Michigan posted its second consecutive win over a top 5 opponent in a rematch against Duke with an 81–73 victory. The game included 11 lead changes and 16 ties. The close contest allowed the fans to play a part as they forced Duke to use a time out to quiet the noisy crowd late in the second half. The game, which had an attendance of 13,751, marked Michigan's 168th consecutive sellout and eighth consecutive as host to Duke. Sims, in his new starting role, led the way with 28 points (a career-high) and 12 rebounds. Novak contributed 14 off the bench including 4 for 7 on three point shots. Gerald Henderson
fouled out in only 19 minutes of play. Michigan trailed 53–50 with 8 minutes and 38 seconds remaining before Novak hit three point shots on consecutive possessions to give Michigan the lead for good. Michigan built a 68–59 lead with 3 minutes and 7 seconds left. Then, Duke made four straight three point shots while Michigan made 13 of its last 14 free throws to defend its lead. The fourth three-pointer cut the lead to 75–71 with 51.3 seconds remaining. The game was the first time Michigan had defeated multiple top five teams in the same season since 1986–87 when it upended fifth-ranked Syracuse, 91–88 (January 18, 1987), second-ranked , 100–92 (January 31, 1987), and third-ranked , 104–68 (March 7, 1987). At that point in the season, Michigan's two wins against top five teams were as many as the rest of the nation combined.
Then, after beating Eastern Michigan the following week, they welcomed Laval Lucas-Perry to the lineup as he contributed 14 points in 16 minutes of play in a victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
. Two days later on December 22, Michigan entered the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time since February 6, 2006. Later that night in a victory over , DeShawn Sims
became the first Wolverine to score 20 points and add 20 rebounds since Phil Hubbard
had 22 points and 26 rebounds in a victory over in the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. This performance earned him his second career Big Ten Player of the Week award. On December 29, the team entered the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
After a win over , which gave the Wolverines ten wins to match its previous season's total, the team lost its Big Ten Conference opener against the Wisconsin Badgers on New Years Eve. The win made Michigan the first ranked team that Wisconsin defeated during the season after three previous losses. During the game Zack Novak scored his season high 20 points, but Harris was held to 9 points and Wisconsin shot 58.7% from the field. On January 4, the team earned its first conference victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini
when five player chipped in with double digit scoring efforts and the defense induced a low shooting percentage in the second half. The loss during the week caused Michigan to fall from the top 25 of both polls. Michigan rallied from a 20-point deficit against the Indiana Hoosiers
to force overtime in which it prevailed on January 7. It was the team's first victory in since 1995. On January 11, defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes
marking eight wins in nine games starting with the Duke upset. Michigan opened a 32–16 lead and was never challenged afterwards. Following the Indiana and Iowa victories, Michigan moved back into the top 25 in both polls (AP #25, ESPN/USAT #24).
Beilein stayed at 499 career wins at four-year academic institutions, as Michigan suffered its first consecutive losses of the season when its second conference loss, which came against Illinois on January 14, was followed by a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 17. The Illinois contest was a rematch from ten days earlier. After a 31–30 Michigan halftime lead resulting from 11 lead changes, Illinois shut down Michigan early in the second half to build a 57–45 lead with 5 minutes remaining. In the game, Michigan did not attempt a free throw until the last 1 minute and 45 seconds of the second half. Against Ohio State, Michigan struggled against a 1–2–2 zone early in the game and fell behind by 11 before closing to a 29–25 halftime deficit. Michigan took a 44–40 lead with eight minutes remaining, and the score was tied at 47 before Ohio State ran off 10 points in a row. The game was a twentieth year celebration of the last Wolverine national championship with all but two members of the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
championship team in attendance as the team wore throwback uniform
s. The consecutive losses caused the team to lose almost all of their support in the national rankings. On January 20, in a contest against Penn State
that pitted the conferences two leading scorers (Harris and Talor Battle
), Michigan shot 9 for 30 from the field in the first half including 2 for 16 on three point shot attempts. They fell behind by as many as 23 points in the second half. The loss extended the losing streak to three games. Although Michigan rebounded with Beilein's 500th win in a January 24 victory over in which they scored on their first five possessions and never looked back, they lost all support among the voters in the polls.
Michigan ended January with a pair of losses to Ohio State and Purdue. The Ohio State game was notable for Zack Novak's flagrant foul
and ejection for elbowing P.J. Hill in the face. Harris accumulated a triple double of sorts with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 turnover
s. Against Purdue, Harris was held to single digit scoring for the third time in four games. During the game he was ejected for elbowing Purdue captain
Chris Kramer in the nose, which spurred Purdue to a 40–20 run. Novak was ineligible due to an ejection in the prior game and Harris was ejected toward the beginning of the second half. On February 5, Harris was selected as a John R. Wooden Award 2008–09 Midseason Top 30 Candidate. After starting February play by snapping the two game losing streak against Penn State on February 5, Michigan lost consecutive games to top ten opponents: Connecticut Huskies (#1) and Michigan State Spartans (#9). Harris posted a 28 points as Michigan rallied from a two point halftime deficit to win by 20 against Penn State. Although Michigan confused Connecticut with a 2–3 zone defense instead of its normal 1–3–1 zone, which forced 10 first-half turnovers, Connecticut was victorious. The 11th double double of the season by Hasheem Thabeet
helped Connecticut overcome only its second halftime deficit. Michigan stayed in the game in part due to six three-pointers by Stu Douglass. The loss against Michigan State marked 7 losses in 9 games for Michigan and gave Michigan State a 7–0 road
record. On February 15, Michigan raised its record to 3–0 in overtime
games in a victory over the Northwestern Wildcats
on the road. Michigan took a 56–51 lead with 1 minute and 44 seconds left, but let it slip away. Michigan never trailed in the overtime. Then four days later, they posted their first consecutive win since a three game streak from January 4 — 11 with a victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the game, Novak posted a career-best 6 three-pointers.
Michigan suffered a 80–70 overtime loss at the hands of ten-place Big Ten foe, Iowa, on February 22. Michigan had led 56–52 with 1 minute and 13 seconds remaining in regulation before allowing four straight free throws by Matt Gatens. The game was notable because Harris did not play during the overtime. At the time of the benching, Harris was in a battle with fellow sophomores Talor Battle
and Evan Turner
for the Big Ten Scoring leadership. Beilein commented on the benching: "That's what we had to do to make our team better now and in the future.". In the subsequent game against #16-ranked Purdue, Michigan won 87–78, raising its record to 3–4 against ranked opponents on the season. Harris was one of Michigan's leaders with 27 points and 8 rebounds, while Sims had a career-high 29 points. On March 1, Michigan lost to Wisconsin 60–55. After taking a 34–32 halftime lead, Michigan opened the second half shooting 1 for 12. Michigan closed the contest to a 52–50 game with 3 minutes and 55 seconds remaining. They stayed close as Wisconsin missed four of eight late free throws. Prior to the final game of the season, the Wolverines adopted the slogan "Queme los barcos," which means "burn the ships" and which had been used by 16th-century Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez as a command to his troops to remind them that there was no turning back in their battle with the Aztec
. The team traded in their traditional warmup jersey's for shirts with their adopted slogan. On March 7, they recovered from a 51–39 deficit to win their conference finale against Minnesota. Laval Lucas-Perry scored a career-high 19 points, including three straight three-pointers after Minnesota opened up the 12 point lead. Of the three teams that were ranked at the end of February and that Michigan had played twice (Duke, Illinois and Purdue), Michigan split the two games against each opponent, winning against each at home.
held at the Conseco Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis, Indiana
while Minnesota was seeded eighth. During Championship Week
, the Wolverines defeated the number ten seeded Iowa Hawkeyes on March 12 by a 73–45 margin. Sims helped Michigan open a 22–9 lead by scoring 16 of his 27 points in the first 10 minutes. Then the team lost to the number two seeded Illinois Fighting Illini on March 13. Sims scored 15 and Harris was held to 9.
Michigan continued to wear warmup shirts with the team slogan at the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. In the tournament, where Michigan earned the number 10 seed, the team defeated the Clemson Tigers 62–59 on March 19 in Kansas City. At one point, Michigan held a 16-point lead. After Harris gave Michigan a 58–43 lead with 5:51 remaining, Clemson had a 14–0 run to cut the deficit to 58–57 with 49 seconds left. Harris completed a three point play on a driving layup with 37.4 second left. During the game, Clemson's top shooter Terrence Oglesby
was ejected for a flagrant foul. The Wolverines lost in the second round game played on March 21, 2009 to the 2-seeded Oklahoma in a 73–63. During the game four of Michigan's five starters who were trying to defend against Blake Griffin
spent much of the game in foul trouble with Harris and Lee fouling out and Novak and Sims finishing with four fouls. Although Michigan tried a variety of defenders and various approaches such as doubling him, sagging in the lane, bumping him, Griffin still posted 33 points and 17 rebounds.
after the season. Before, during and after the season, individual players earned the following awards and honors:
Manny Harris
DeShawn Sims
C. J. Lee
David Merritt
Laval Lucas-Perry
, Jim Jackson
, and Brian Evans
. After, Harris was named team MVP, he requested that Sims be recognized as co-MVP. Sims was recognized as co-MVP.
The team posted the following statistics:
!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
| Ex.
| November 6
| (exhibition)
| 81–55
| DeShawn Sims
– 19
| DeShawn Sims – 9
| Stu Douglass – 6
| Crisler Arena
, Ann Arbor, MI (6,701)
|
|-
!colspan=9| 2008–09 NCAA Division I Regular Season
|-
| 1
| November 11
|
| 77–55
| Manny Harris
(1) – 30
| Sims (1) – 12
| Douglass (1) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (6,328)
| 1–0
|-
| 2
| November 12
|
| 76–56
| Harris (2) – 26
| Harris (1) – 10
| Harris (1) – 8
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (6,246)
| 2–0
|-
| 3
| November 20
| UCLA
(#4)
| 55–52
| Sims (1) – 18
| Harris (2)/Sims (2) – 5
| Douglass (2) – 4
| Madison Square Garden
, New York (9,440)
| 3–0
|-
| 4
| November 21
| Duke (#10)
| 56–71
| Harris (3) – 25
| Zack Gibson (1) – 5
| Kelvin Grady (1) – 6
| Madison Square Garden, New York (12,543)
| 3–1
|-
| 5
| November 25
|
| 83–49
| Harris (4) – 16
| Harris (3) – 15
| Grady (2) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (7,544)
| 4–1
|-
| 6
| November 29
| Savannah State
| 66–64 (OT)
| Sims (2) – 23
| Sims (3) – 12
| Harris (2) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (8,190)
| 5–1
|-
| 7
| December 3
| @ Maryland
| 70–75
| Manny Harris
(5) – 15
| DeShawn Sims
(4) – 7
| Harris (3)/Jevohn Shepherd (1) – 4
| Comcast Center
, College Park, MD (17,950)
| 5–2
|-
| 8
| December 6
| Duke (#4)
| 81–73
| Sims (3) – 28
| Sims (5) – 12
| Kelvin Grady (3) – 4
| Crisler Arena
, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 6–2
|-
| 9
| December 13
|
| 91–60
| Harris (6) – 22
| Harris (4) – 7
| Harris (4) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (9,768)
| 7–2
|-
| 10
| December 20
| @Oakland
| 89–76
| Sims (4) – 20
| Sims (6) – 9
| Harris (5) – 13
| The Palace of Auburn Hills
, Auburn Hills, MI (10,113)
| 8–2
|-
| 11
| December 22
|
| 76–59
| Sims (5) – 20
| Sims (7) – 20
| Harris (6) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (8,279)
| 9–2
|-
| 12
| December 29
|
| 77–57
| Harris (7) – 29
| Harris (5) – 16
| Harris (7) – 7
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (10,390)
| 10–2
|-
!colspan=9| 2008–09 Big Ten Conference Season
|-
| 13
| December 31
| Wisconsin
| 61–73
| Zack Novak (1) – 20
| Novak (1) – 8
| Harris (8) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,046)
| 10–3 (0–1)
|-
| 14
| January 4
| Illinois
| 74–64
| Manny Harris
(8) – 16
| DeShawn Sims
(8) – 9
| Harris (9)/Laval Lucas-Perry (1) – 5
| Crisler Arena
, Ann Arbor, MI (12,912)
| 11–3 (1–1)
|-
| 15
| January 7
| @Indiana
| 72–66 (OT)
| Lucas-Perry (1) – 18
| Harris (6) – 11
| Kelvin Grady (4) – 4
| Assembly Hall
, Bloomington, IN (11,044)
| 12–3 (2–1)
|-
| 16
| January 11
| Iowa
| 64–49
| Harris (9) – 18
| Harris (7) – 8
| Harris (10) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,835)
| 13–3 (3–1)
|-
| 17
| January 14
| @Illinois
| 51–66
| Harris (10) – 20
| Zack Novak (2) – 9
| Harris (11) – 3
| Assembly Hall
, Champaign, IL (15,535)
| 13–4 (3–2)
|-
| 18
| January 17
| Ohio State
| 58–65
| Harris (11) – 21
| Harris (8) – 7
| Harris (12) – 6
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 13–5 (3–3)
|-
| 19
| January 20
| @Penn State
| 58–73
| Sims (6) – 21
| Sims (9) – 11
| Douglass (3) – 3
| Bryce Jordan Center
, State College, PA (8,730)
| 13–6 (3–4)
|-
| 20
| January 24
|
| 68–59
| Sims (7) – 15
| Harris (9) – 12
| Harris (13)/C.J. Lee (1)/Lucas-Perry (2) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,468)
| 14–6 (4–4)
|-
| 21
| January 28
| @Ohio State
| 54–72
| Harris (12) – 22
| Harris (10) – 12
| Grady (5)/Harris (14)/Lee (2) – 3
| Jerome Schottenstein Center
Columbus, OH (16,363)
| 14–7 (4–5)
|-
| 22
| January 31
| @Purdue
(#16)
| 49–67
| Sims (8)/Jevohn Shepherd (1) – 10
| Sims (10) – 5
| Grady (6)/Stu Douglass (4) – 4
| Mackey Arena
, West Lafayette, IN
| 14–8 (4–6)
|-
| 23
| February 5
| Penn State
| 71–51
| Manny Harris
(13) – 28
| DeShawn Sims
(11) – 7
| Harris (15) – 7
| Crisler Arena
, Ann Arbor, MI (10,134)
| 15–8 (5–6)
|-
| 24
| February 7
| @Connecticut
(#1)
| 61–69
| Stu Douglass (1) – 20
| Zack Gibson (1)/Harris (11)/Sims (12) – 4
| Harris (16) – 5
| Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
, Storrs, CT (10,167)
| 15–9 (5–6)
|-
| 25
| February 10
| Michigan State
(#9)
| 42–54
| Sims (9) – 18
| Harris (12) – 7
| Harris (17)/Zack Novak (1) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 15–10 (5–7)
|-
| 26
| February 15
| @
| 70–67 (OT)
| Harris (14) – 26
| Novak (3) – 7
| Douglass (5) – 4
| Welsh-Ryan Arena
, Evanston, IL (7,234)
| 16–10 (6–7)
|-
| 27
| February 19
| Minnesota
| 74–62
| Novak (2) – 18
| Sims (13) – 8
| C. J. Lee (3) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (10,520)
| 17–10 (7–7)
|-
| 28
| February 22
| @Iowa
| 60–70 (OT)
| Douglass (2) – 14
| Sims (14) – 8
| Harris (18) – 6
| Carver-Hawkeye Arena
, Iowa City, IA (14,462)
| 17–11 (7–8)
|-
| 29
| February 26
| Purdue
(#16)
| 87–78
| Sims (10) – 29
| Harris (13) – 8
| Douglass (6)/Harris (19) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 18–11 (8–8)
|-
| 30
| March 1
| @Wisconsin
| 55–60
| DeShawn Sims
(11) – 17
| Manny Harris
(14) – 8
| C. J. Lee (4) – 4
| Kohl Center
, Madison, WI (17,230)
| 18–12 (8–9)
|-
| 31
| March 7
| @Minnesota
| 67–64
| Sims (12) – 24
| Zack Gibson (2)/Harris (15)/Laval Lucas-Perry (1)/Sims (15) – 2
| Harris (20) – 6
| Williams Arena
, Minneapolis, MN (14,625)
| 19–12 (9–9)
|-
!colspan=9| 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
|-
| 32/BT1
| March 12
| Iowa
| 73–45
| Sims (13) – 27
| Harris (16) – 7
| Harris (21) – 8
| Conseco Fieldhouse
, Indianapolis, IN
| 20–12 (9–9)
|-
| 33/BT2
| March 13
| Illinois
| 50–60
| Sims (14) – 15
| Sims (16) – 8
| Harris (22) – 4
| Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
| 20–13 (9–9)
|-
!colspan=9| 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
|-
| 34/NCAA1
| March 19
| Clemson (#24)
| 62–59
| Harris (15) – 23
| Harris (17) – 7
| Harris (23) – 6
| Sprint Center
,
| 21–13 (9–9)
|-
| 35/NCAA2
| March 21
| Oklahoma
(#7)
| 63–73
| Sims (15)/Anthony Wright (1) – 14
| Sims (17) – 6
| Harris (24) – 3
| Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
| 21–14 (9–9)
|-
Bold text indicates game high; (nth time player led stat)
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
team represented the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in competitive college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I season. The 2008–09 season marked the team's ninety-second consecutive season as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's (NCAA) Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. The team finished the season with a 21–14 overall record and a 9–9 conference record. The 9–9 conference record tied for seventh place in the 2008–09 Big Ten conference standings
2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marked the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. It was the 104th season of Big Ten Conference basketball play...
. Michigan was seeded seventh in the single-elimination 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played during Championship Week between March 12 and March 15, 2009 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner, the Purdue Boilermakers, received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Purdue defeated Ohio State...
where it advanced one round. They were seeded tenth in the South Regional bracket of the single-elimination 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
, where it also advanced one round before losing to the Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin
Blake Austin Griffin is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the...
-led Oklahoma Sooners. C.J. Lee and David Merritt served as team co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
s, and Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
and DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
shared team MVP honors.
The 2008–09 season marked a turnaround for the team for several reasons. The team rebounded from a 10–22 overall record and a 5–13 conference record during the previous 2007–08 season
2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2007 ended with the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 7, 2008 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.-Season headlines:...
. The season was highlighted by the team's first two wins in eleven years against teams ranked
2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Two human polls made up the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.-Legend:-AP poll:...
among the top five in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, and by the team's first trip to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament since the 1998 Tournament
1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1998 NCAA Men's Division I 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 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
. Although the team had appeared in the 1998 NCAA tournament, the last appearance in the NCAA tournament that had been recognized in official NCAA records as not having been tainted by the University of Michigan basketball scandal
University of Michigan basketball scandal
The University of Michigan basketball scandal or Ed Martin scandal was a six-year investigation of the relationship between the University of Michigan, its men's basketball teams and basketball team booster Ed Martin...
was their 1995 Tournament
1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1995 NCAA Men's Division I 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 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle,...
appearance. The team was in its first year off scholarship probation, which following the scandal had restricted the number of available scholarships. However, the team continued to be prohibited from affiliating with implicated athletes (Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
, Robert Traylor
Robert Traylor
Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor was an American professional basketball player.-High school and college:...
, Maurice Taylor
Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor is an American professional basketball power forward.-College career:Taylor attended the University of Michigan. The athletic forward, from Henry Ford High School in Detroit, burst onto the national scene during the 1994 Maui Invitational with fellow freshman Maceo Baston...
, and Louis Bullock
Louis Bullock
Louis Bullock, Jr. is an American professional basketball player. He is currently with the pro club CB Cajasol Sevilla in Spain....
) until 2012, which meant, among other things, that the players could not help the University recruit. The team began the season unranked, but in December 2008 it earned its first place in the top 25 since February 2006. As the season progressed, the team adopted the slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
"Queme los barcos", which is Spanish for "burn the ships", as a reminder that there was no turning back.
For the forty-second consecutive season, the team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
at the Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...
, which has a capacity of 13,751. John Beilein
John Beilein
John Beilein is an American college basketball coach and current men's basketball head coach at the University of Michigan. He is the 16th head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. The 2010–11 season was his fourth at Michigan, with whom he has a six-year contract...
was in his second season as head coach with the team during the 2008–2009 season. At the conclusion of the season, guard Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
was named to the All-Big Ten first team, and forward DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
was selected by the Big Ten media to the second team and chosen by the Big Ten coaches for the third team.
Preview
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
members Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils, who went on to win the 2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, the culmination of the 2008–09 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball season and a part of the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 12–March 15, 2009, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
. The team also played against geographical rival and the preseason #2 ranked Connecticut Huskies
2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Jim Calhoun, the Huskies played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A...
.
Unlike conference rivals Michigan State
2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI...
, Purdue
2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University. The Head Coach was Matt Painter, then in his 4th season with the Boilers. The team played its home games in Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
, and Wisconsin, Michigan was not ranked in the top 25 by either the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
or the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
preseason polls. In fact, the team did not even receive any votes, like rival Ohio State, in either poll. Pre season reports described the team as a contender for fifth place in the conference. Although the team was building from a 10–22 record, it won five of its last ten games the prior year. A poll of 22 members of the media published in the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
ranked Michigan eighth in the conference. The Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
2008 College Basketball Preview issue did not select the team as one of the five predicted Big Ten teams (the four mentioned above and the Minnesota Golden Gophers
2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the college basketball season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach is Tubby Smith. This is his second year as Minnesota's head coach. The Golden Gophers played their home games at Williams Arena in...
) to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Roster
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
, decided to transfer for his final two years of athletic eligibility. Beilein attempted to replace Udoh with Robin Benzing
Robin Benzing
Robin Benzing is a German professional basketball player. He currently plays for Bayern Munich in the Basketball Bundesliga and is a member of the German national basketball team.-Pro career:Benzing plays at Bayern Munich in Germany.-German national team:...
, a member of Germany's national youth team. However, Benzing failed to meet the NCAA's initial-eligibility guidelines and did not play. Beilein was able to partially solve the problem of complimenting Manny Harris by luring point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
Laval Lucas-Perry to transfer from Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
. Perry became eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester. The team anticipated relying on 7 feet (2.1 m) freshman center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
Ben Cronin to make up for the loss of Udoh and Ron Coleman, who averaged over 21 minutes each of his four seasons. Including Cronin, the team had three incoming recruits.
Michigan granted two of its scholarships to fifth-year redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
graduate students C.J. Lee and David Merritt in September. Lee and Merritt had both been 2007–08 Big Ten Academic All-Conference selections. The varsity roster included fourteen players, thirteen of whom saw live game action. In December, the Wolverines made the decision to redshirt Ben Cronin after only 10 minutes of play. He had hip surgery on January 14.
| # | Name | Height | Weight | Position | Class | Hometown | Previous Team(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zack Novak | 210 pounds (95.3 kg) | G | Fr. | Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,068 at the 2010 census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the tri-towns or the Duneland area.... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Chesterton Senior HS | |
| 1 | Stu Douglass | 175 pounds (79.4 kg) | G | Fr. | Carmel, Indiana Carmel, Indiana Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest.... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Carmel High School Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana) Carmel High School is a public high school in Carmel, Indiana whose name is commonly abbreviated to CHS. It is part of the Carmel Clay School District and has an enrollment of around 4,600 students, making it the largest high school in the state of Indiana by number of students.- History :Carmel... |
|
| 2 | C.J. Lee | 180 pounds (81.6 kg) | G | |
Pittsford Pittsford (town), New York Pittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States and is an affluent suburb of Rochester. The population was 29,405 at the 2010 census.... , New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Manhattan College Manhattan College Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers... |
|
| 3 | Manny Harris Manny Harris Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team... |
185 pounds (83.9 kg) | G | So. | Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Redford HS Redford High School Redford High School was a secondary educational facility in Detroit, Michigan. The school opened in 1924 and ceased operations in June 2007. Staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools; Redford High School served the sub-communities of Old Redford, Grandmont, Rosedale Park and... |
|
| 12 | Anthony Wright | 235 pounds (106.6 kg) | F | |
Sterling, Virginia Sterling, Virginia Sterling, Virginia is a census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 27,822.It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Oak Hill Academy Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) Oak Hill Academy is a co-educational, private Baptist-affiliated secondary school in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, United States. Oak Hill's enrollment of approximately 150 students is 98% boarders, serving grades 8–12... |
|
| 15 | David Merritt | 170 pounds (77.1 kg) | G | |
West Bloomfield, Michigan | U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
West Bloomfield HS West Bloomfield High School West Bloomfield High School is a public secondary school in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The school is the only public high school in the West Bloomfield School District. The School Enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year is about 1900. West Bloomfield High School was previously located in the... |
|
| 22 | Jevohn Shepherd | 215 pounds (97.5 kg) | F | Sr. | Toronto, Ontario | Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
West Hill Collegiate Institute West Hill Collegiate Institute West Hill Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, located in eastern Scarborough. The school was opened in 1955 and named after the community of West Hill, Toronto in which the school is located, and recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2005... |
|
| 23 | Corey Person | 200 pounds (90.7 kg) | G | Fr. | Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo, Michigan The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Kalamazoo Central HS Kalamazoo Central High School Kalamazoo Central High School is a public high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men and three women in 1859. It moved to its current... |
|
| 30 | Eric Puls | 210 pounds (95.3 kg) | C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
|
Alpena, Michigan Alpena, Michigan Alpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Alpena County. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located in the city. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Alpena HS Alpena High School (Michigan) Alpena High School is a public high school for students in grades 9-12 located in the city of Alpena, Michigan. For the 2005-06 school year AHS reported an enrollment of exactly 1,600 students. The current school building opened in 1967. There was an addition in 1998-99 where a new wing was... |
|
| 31 | Laval Lucas-Perry | 185 pounds (83.9 kg) | G | |
Flint, Michigan Flint, Michigan Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
University of Arizona University of Arizona The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885... |
|
| 34 | Zack Gibson | 220 pounds (99.8 kg) | F | |
Grand Blanc, Michigan Grand Blanc, Michigan Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 8,242 at the 2000 census. The city is situated within Grand Blanc Charter Township, but is politically independent... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American... |
|
| 34 | DeShawn Sims DeShawn Sims -College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year... |
235 pounds (106.6 kg) | F | Jr. | Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Pershing HS | |
| 35 | Ben Cronin | 265 pounds (120.2 kg) | C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Fr. | Syracuse, New York Syracuse, New York Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Henninger HS Henninger High School Anthony A. Henninger High School is a high school in the Syracuse City School District. Henninger is the largest of the four High Schools in this district with a student population of approximately 1,800 people.- History :... |
|
| 44 | Kelvin Grady | 170 pounds (77.1 kg) | G | So. | Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
East Grand Rapids HS East Grand Rapids High School East Grand Rapids High SchoolLocation2211 Lake Drive SEEast Grand Rapids, MI 49506InformationPrincipalJenny FeeAssistant PrincipalCraig WiegelGuidance DirectorLori S... |
|
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
eligibility.
Incoming signees
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
listed as three-star recruits. Only Ben Cronin was also listed as three-star by scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
.
Mid-season transfer
2009–10 team recruits
Incoming recruit Darius MorrisDarius Morris
-College:As a freshman with the 2009–10 team, Morris averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 assist per game on 24.3 minutes of playing time per game. Three times he scored in double digits, including his first career game...
and two Division I recruit teammates led Windward High School to the California Division V state title. Darius Morris received MVP of Olympic League, CIF Division 5A Southern Section Player of Year, and CIF Division 5A State Player of Year. Also Darius was awarded a John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award, received by Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday
Jrue Randall Holiday is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. He is the first player born in the 1990s to play in the NBA. He played his only college basketball season for the UCLA Bruins before jumping to the pros...
the year before and the likes of Jason Kapono
Jason Kapono
Jason Alan Kapono is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono later also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers...
and Tayshaun Prince
Tayshaun Prince
Tayshaun Durell Prince is an American basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Prince is a small forward, listed at and . A graduate of Dominguez High School and the University of Kentucky, Prince was drafted in the first round by the...
in the past.
Matt Vogrich won the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award, following in the footsteps of Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose
Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association ....
and Jon Scheyer
Jon Scheyer
Jonathan James "Jon" Scheyer is an American-Israeli professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Super League in that competition, the Adriatic League, and the Euroleague...
. Unlike Scheyer and Rose, he did not win Illinois Mr. Basketball
Illinois Mr. Basketball
Each year the Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois....
. Kelvin Grady announced his intent to transfer at the end of the seaason.
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation... |
RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | RV | 25 | RV | NA | ||||||||||
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | 24 | RV | RV |
RV-Receiving votes
Playing style
Over the course of the season, they developed a reputation for shooting a lot of three point shots and for not turning overTurnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...
the basketball. The team ranked among the national leaders in three point shots made per game. The ballhandling ability was a function of the Michigan lineup which often employed four guards and one center/forward, which meant that at any time the team had several adept ballhandlers on the court. By the end of the season, the starting lineup usually included four players 6 in 5 in (1.96 m) or shorter and Sims who is 6 in 8 in (2.03 m). As a team that relied on the three point shot, it was streaky and was susceptible to hot and cold stretches. The team relied on a deep bench and had 10 players who averaged 10 minutes per game. Even the eleventh player averaged 9.6 minutes. The offense used patient ball movement with backdoor cutters and slashers, which necessitated that defenses chase shooters and peel off picks. The offense resulted in a shot mix that employed three pointers for about 48% of its shots.
On defense, the team was known for employing Beilein's trademark trapping 1–3–1 halfcourt zone defense
1-3-1 defense/offense
The 1-3-1 defense and offense is a popular strategy used in basketball.The 1-3-1 zone defense is a defensive basketball formation. It was originally utilized by Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee. This defense is named for its formation since there is one defender at the point, three defenders at the...
, which required opponents to be skilled at perimeter passing. The zone defense was generally employed after made baskets and dead-ball situations. After offensive misses or turnovers, the Wolverines relied on man-to-man defense
Man-to-man defense
Man-to-man defense is a type of defensive tactic used in American football, association football, and basketball in which each player is assigned to defend and follow the movements of a single player on offense. Often, a player guards his counterpart , but a player may be assigned to guard a...
. Depending on the matchups the team also used a 2–3 zone defense
2-3 Zone Defense
The 2–3 zone defense is a defensive strategy used in basketball as an alternative to man-to-man defense. It is referred to as the 2–3 because of its formation on the court, which consists of two players at the front of the defense and three players behind .-How to play a 2–3 zone defense:The...
because the team did not have the type of athletes necessary to play on the wings of his 1–3–1. It employed the 1–3–1 less later in the season, and about ten percent of opponent possessions altogether. In total, the team used some sort of zone defense
Zone defense
Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover....
about 40 percent of the time. The team was also among the top 35 (of over 300) in the nation in terms of three point shot defense.
Accomplishments
On December 13, 2008, the team tied Dartmouth’s current national record for most different players to make a three point field goal in game set in 1993 when 9 players made three point shots against Eastern Michigan2009–10 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Eastern Michigan Eagles basketball team represented Eastern Michigan University in the college basketball season of 2009–10. The team was coached by Charles E...
. The team also set the current Big Ten Conference single-game three point field goals attempted record of 42 on December 22, 2008 against Florida Gulf Coast and the conference games record of 40 on January 7, 2009 againsst Indiana
2009–10 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University in the 2009-10 college basketball season. Their head coach was Tom Crean, in his second season with the Hoosiers. The team played its home games at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and is a member of the Big...
. Over the course of the season the team set the current Big Ten Conference single-season three point field goals attempted record if 912 as well as the single-season conference games record of 471. The team led the Big Ten Conference with 151 three point field goals made in conference games.
The team set several current school records. Its single-season total of 305 three point field goals made surpassed the 1998 school record total of 260. The team’s single game total of 16 three point field goals made against on December 13, 2008 surpassed the school record 15 made on February 22, 1998. The team also established the school’s single-season free throw percentage record of 75.7% (412–544) surpassed the 75.4% set in 2002.
Preconference
Midnight Madness (basketball)
Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...
events from several Big Ten campuses on October 17, 2008, the Michigan Wolverines were not a featured part of the show. Michigan began the season with Ben Cronin suffering from a torn acetabular labrum
Acetabular labrum
The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum ....
(hip joint) and considering redshirting
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
. The team started its season as the host of a 2K Sports College Hoops Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
The Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic is an annual college basketball tournament played in November at the beginning of the season...
tournament regional in which they defeated the and at Crisler Arena. Manny Harris won the second Big Ten Player of the week award of his career for his performances during these games.
The first two victories qualified Michigan to appear in the tournament final four at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
where the unranked Wolverines team upset the #4 ranked UCLA Bruins men's basketball
2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team opened the season on November 3 when it took on Cal Baptist in an exhibition game in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins participated in the 2K Sports Classic, Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, and the John R...
team for its first win over a top-five team in eleven years on November 20, 2008. The 55–52 win also ended a twelve-game losing streak against ranked opponents. During the game, Michigan forced 17 UCLA turnovers with its 1–3–1 zone defense. Nonetheless, Michigan fell behind by as many as 10 points at one point in the game. In the first half, the Wolverines shot 31.3% from the field, and in the second half, they shot 61.9%, including 4 of 8 on three point shots. Michigan trailed by two with 4 minutes and 16 seconds left before Stu Douglass made a three point basket and Sims scored a few possessions later after a steal. In the final seconds UCLA's Nikola Dragovic hit a 3-point shot with five seconds left to reduce Michigan's four-point lead to one. Then UCLA sent Harris to the line where he made two free throws. In the final seconds Michigan defended an attack by Darren Collison
Darren Collison
Darren Michael Collison is an American professional basketball point guard for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by New Orleans. He is a right-hander and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California...
who had his final shot blocked by Harris. At that point in the season, Michigan used DeShawn Sims as a sixth man
Sixth man
The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the starters and posts similar statistics. He is often a...
. He played 28 minutes off the bench and led the team in scoring with 18 while being tied for the lead with 5 rebounds. Despite losing to #10 ranked (#5 in the Coaches' Poll) Duke the following night, the Wolverines began receiving votes in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings for the week of November 24.
The team earned a pair of non-conference victories against and Savannah State
2008–09 Savannah State Tigers men's basketball team
The 2008-2009 Savannah State Tigers men's basketball team competes in American basketball on behalf of Savannah State University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I-AA, currently as an independent...
. In the Savannah St. game, Sims made a jump shot from the corner as time expired to win the game in overtime. Michigan had trailed by 20 at halftime, but scored the first 15 points of the second half. Next, the team was matched up against the Maryland in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, where they lost on December 3. The Maryland game marked Sims' entry into the starting lineup.
On December 6, 2008 Michigan posted its second consecutive win over a top 5 opponent in a rematch against Duke with an 81–73 victory. The game included 11 lead changes and 16 ties. The close contest allowed the fans to play a part as they forced Duke to use a time out to quiet the noisy crowd late in the second half. The game, which had an attendance of 13,751, marked Michigan's 168th consecutive sellout and eighth consecutive as host to Duke. Sims, in his new starting role, led the way with 28 points (a career-high) and 12 rebounds. Novak contributed 14 off the bench including 4 for 7 on three point shots. Gerald Henderson
Gerald Henderson, Jr.
Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson, Jr. is an American basketball player who was drafted 12th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association...
fouled out in only 19 minutes of play. Michigan trailed 53–50 with 8 minutes and 38 seconds remaining before Novak hit three point shots on consecutive possessions to give Michigan the lead for good. Michigan built a 68–59 lead with 3 minutes and 7 seconds left. Then, Duke made four straight three point shots while Michigan made 13 of its last 14 free throws to defend its lead. The fourth three-pointer cut the lead to 75–71 with 51.3 seconds remaining. The game was the first time Michigan had defeated multiple top five teams in the same season since 1986–87 when it upended fifth-ranked Syracuse, 91–88 (January 18, 1987), second-ranked , 100–92 (January 31, 1987), and third-ranked , 104–68 (March 7, 1987). At that point in the season, Michigan's two wins against top five teams were as many as the rest of the nation combined.
Then, after beating Eastern Michigan the following week, they welcomed Laval Lucas-Perry to the lineup as he contributed 14 points in 16 minutes of play in a victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball team representing Oakland University....
. Two days later on December 22, Michigan entered the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time since February 6, 2006. Later that night in a victory over , DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
became the first Wolverine to score 20 points and add 20 rebounds since Phil Hubbard
Phil Hubbard
Philip "Phil" Gregory Hubbard is a former American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association from 1979 to 1989, and former Assistant Coach of the Washington Wizards under Eddie Jordan.Hubbard played high school basketball...
had 22 points and 26 rebounds in a victory over in the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 American schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the National Champion of Men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1977, and ended with the championship game on March 28 in Atlanta, Georgia. A...
. This performance earned him his second career Big Ten Player of the Week award. On December 29, the team entered the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Big Ten Season
2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2008–09 college basketball season...
when five player chipped in with double digit scoring efforts and the defense induced a low shooting percentage in the second half. The loss during the week caused Michigan to fall from the top 25 of both polls. Michigan rallied from a 20-point deficit against the Indiana Hoosiers
2008–09 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University. The Head Coach is Tom Crean. The team plays its home games in the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference....
to force overtime in which it prevailed on January 7. It was the team's first victory in since 1995. On January 11, defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes
2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents The University of Iowa in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The team is led by head coach Todd Lickliter. The team will play their home games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which the team has done since 1983.- Roster :- Schedule and Results...
marking eight wins in nine games starting with the Duke upset. Michigan opened a 32–16 lead and was never challenged afterwards. Following the Indiana and Iowa victories, Michigan moved back into the top 25 in both polls (AP #25, ESPN/USAT #24).
Beilein stayed at 499 career wins at four-year academic institutions, as Michigan suffered its first consecutive losses of the season when its second conference loss, which came against Illinois on January 14, was followed by a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 17. The Illinois contest was a rematch from ten days earlier. After a 31–30 Michigan halftime lead resulting from 11 lead changes, Illinois shut down Michigan early in the second half to build a 57–45 lead with 5 minutes remaining. In the game, Michigan did not attempt a free throw until the last 1 minute and 45 seconds of the second half. Against Ohio State, Michigan struggled against a 1–2–2 zone early in the game and fell behind by 11 before closing to a 29–25 halftime deficit. Michigan took a 44–40 lead with eight minutes remaining, and the score was tied at 47 before Ohio State ran off 10 points in a row. The game was a twentieth year celebration of the last Wolverine national championship with all but two members of the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1989 NCAA Men's Division I 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 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle, Washington...
championship team in attendance as the team wore throwback uniform
Throwback uniform
Throwback uniforms and jerseys are one-time or limited-time variations on a sports team's uniforms styled to resemble uniforms from that team's past. They have proven popular in all major pro and college sports in the USA, not only with fans, but with the teams' marketing and merchandising...
s. The consecutive losses caused the team to lose almost all of their support in the national rankings. On January 20, in a contest against Penn State
2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University and completed the season by winning the 2009 National Invitation Tournament over the Baylor Bears at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Head Coach, Ed DeChellis, coached his sixth season with the team...
that pitted the conferences two leading scorers (Harris and Talor Battle
Talor Battle
Talor Battle is an American basketball player for Cholet Basket in France. In college he played for Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team...
), Michigan shot 9 for 30 from the field in the first half including 2 for 16 on three point shot attempts. They fell behind by as many as 23 points in the second half. The loss extended the losing streak to three games. Although Michigan rebounded with Beilein's 500th win in a January 24 victory over in which they scored on their first five possessions and never looked back, they lost all support among the voters in the polls.
Michigan ended January with a pair of losses to Ohio State and Purdue. The Ohio State game was notable for Zack Novak's flagrant foul
Flagrant foul
A flagrant foul is a serious contact foul involving unnecessary, excessive, or intentional contact in sport. There is a specific National Basketball Association foul termed a flagrant foul.-NBA flagrant fouls:...
and ejection for elbowing P.J. Hill in the face. Harris accumulated a triple double of sorts with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 turnover
Turnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...
s. Against Purdue, Harris was held to single digit scoring for the third time in four games. During the game he was ejected for elbowing Purdue captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
Chris Kramer in the nose, which spurred Purdue to a 40–20 run. Novak was ineligible due to an ejection in the prior game and Harris was ejected toward the beginning of the second half. On February 5, Harris was selected as a John R. Wooden Award 2008–09 Midseason Top 30 Candidate. After starting February play by snapping the two game losing streak against Penn State on February 5, Michigan lost consecutive games to top ten opponents: Connecticut Huskies (#1) and Michigan State Spartans (#9). Harris posted a 28 points as Michigan rallied from a two point halftime deficit to win by 20 against Penn State. Although Michigan confused Connecticut with a 2–3 zone defense instead of its normal 1–3–1 zone, which forced 10 first-half turnovers, Connecticut was victorious. The 11th double double of the season by Hasheem Thabeet
Hasheem Thabeet
Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He was drafted as the 2nd pick overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA Draft after playing with the Connecticut Huskies...
helped Connecticut overcome only its second halftime deficit. Michigan stayed in the game in part due to six three-pointers by Stu Douglass. The loss against Michigan State marked 7 losses in 9 games for Michigan and gave Michigan State a 7–0 road
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...
record. On February 15, Michigan raised its record to 3–0 in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
games in a victory over the Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
The Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference. Men's basketball was first introduced at Northwestern in 1901...
on the road. Michigan took a 56–51 lead with 1 minute and 44 seconds left, but let it slip away. Michigan never trailed in the overtime. Then four days later, they posted their first consecutive win since a three game streak from January 4 — 11 with a victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the game, Novak posted a career-best 6 three-pointers.
Michigan suffered a 80–70 overtime loss at the hands of ten-place Big Ten foe, Iowa, on February 22. Michigan had led 56–52 with 1 minute and 13 seconds remaining in regulation before allowing four straight free throws by Matt Gatens. The game was notable because Harris did not play during the overtime. At the time of the benching, Harris was in a battle with fellow sophomores Talor Battle
Talor Battle
Talor Battle is an American basketball player for Cholet Basket in France. In college he played for Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team...
and Evan Turner
Evan Turner
Evan Marcel Turner , nicknamed The Villain, is an American basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Turner was drafted 2nd overall by the 76ers in the 2010 NBA draft. Turner plays the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions. Turner is a first-team 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball...
for the Big Ten Scoring leadership. Beilein commented on the benching: "That's what we had to do to make our team better now and in the future.". In the subsequent game against #16-ranked Purdue, Michigan won 87–78, raising its record to 3–4 against ranked opponents on the season. Harris was one of Michigan's leaders with 27 points and 8 rebounds, while Sims had a career-high 29 points. On March 1, Michigan lost to Wisconsin 60–55. After taking a 34–32 halftime lead, Michigan opened the second half shooting 1 for 12. Michigan closed the contest to a 52–50 game with 3 minutes and 55 seconds remaining. They stayed close as Wisconsin missed four of eight late free throws. Prior to the final game of the season, the Wolverines adopted the slogan "Queme los barcos," which means "burn the ships" and which had been used by 16th-century Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez as a command to his troops to remind them that there was no turning back in their battle with the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
. The team traded in their traditional warmup jersey's for shirts with their adopted slogan. On March 7, they recovered from a 51–39 deficit to win their conference finale against Minnesota. Laval Lucas-Perry scored a career-high 19 points, including three straight three-pointers after Minnesota opened up the 12 point lead. Of the three teams that were ranked at the end of February and that Michigan had played twice (Duke, Illinois and Purdue), Michigan split the two games against each opponent, winning against each at home.
Postseason
Michigan concluded its regular season with a 19–12 (9–9 Big Ten) record. This earned the team a tie for seventh place in the conference standings with Minnesota. Since Michigan swept the season series with a February 19 74–62 win at home and a March 7 67–64 win at Minnesota, Michigan was seeded seventh in the 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played during Championship Week between March 12 and March 15, 2009 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner, the Purdue Boilermakers, received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Purdue defeated Ohio State...
held at the Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
while Minnesota was seeded eighth. During Championship Week
Championship Week
Championship Week is an annual basketball showcase of conference tournament games in the United States, which decide NCAA bids in early to mid-March. It typically lasts a little under 2 weeks, before basketball post-season play begins. The minor and mid-major conferences typically begin...
, the Wolverines defeated the number ten seeded Iowa Hawkeyes on March 12 by a 73–45 margin. Sims helped Michigan open a 22–9 lead by scoring 16 of his 27 points in the first 10 minutes. Then the team lost to the number two seeded Illinois Fighting Illini on March 13. Sims scored 15 and Harris was held to 9.
Michigan continued to wear warmup shirts with the team slogan at the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
. In the tournament, where Michigan earned the number 10 seed, the team defeated the Clemson Tigers 62–59 on March 19 in Kansas City. At one point, Michigan held a 16-point lead. After Harris gave Michigan a 58–43 lead with 5:51 remaining, Clemson had a 14–0 run to cut the deficit to 58–57 with 49 seconds left. Harris completed a three point play on a driving layup with 37.4 second left. During the game, Clemson's top shooter Terrence Oglesby
Terrence Oglesby
Terrence Rønnestad Oglesby is an American-Norwegian professional basketball player. He is a shooting guard for the team CB Tarragona. Before moving to Europe to play professionally, he had played U.S. college basketball at Clemson University...
was ejected for a flagrant foul. The Wolverines lost in the second round game played on March 21, 2009 to the 2-seeded Oklahoma in a 73–63. During the game four of Michigan's five starters who were trying to defend against Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin
Blake Austin Griffin is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the...
spent much of the game in foul trouble with Harris and Lee fouling out and Novak and Sims finishing with four fouls. Although Michigan tried a variety of defenders and various approaches such as doubling him, sagging in the lane, bumping him, Griffin still posted 33 points and 17 rebounds.
Awards and honors
No Wolverines were drafted into the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
after the season. Before, during and after the season, individual players earned the following awards and honors:
Manny Harris
- Preseason first-team All-Big Ten
- 11/17/09 Big Ten Player of the Week
- John R. Wooden AwardJohn R. Wooden AwardThe John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
2008–09 Midseason Top 30 Candidate - National Association of Basketball CoachesNational Association of Basketball CoachesThe National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
Division I All‐District team - U.S. Basketball Writers AssociationUnited States Basketball Writers AssociationThe United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
2008–09 Men's District V All-District Team - Postseason first-team All-Big Ten
- Big Ten Academic All-Conference
DeShawn Sims
- 12/22/08 Big Ten Player of the Week
- Postseason All-Big Ten second-team (media), third-team (coaches)
C. J. Lee
- Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (Michigan)
- Big Ten Academic All-Conference
David Merritt
- Big Ten Academic All-Conference
Laval Lucas-Perry
- Big Ten Academic All-Conference
Statistical leadership
Harris led the Big Ten in free throw percentage according to some sources who recognize a 2.5 free throws made per game minimum, but was considered second according to the conference website that uses a 2 FTM/game minimum. The NCAA recognizes a 2.5 attempts per game minimum. Thus, according to the Big Ten Gatens is the Conference Free Throw Champion and according the NCAA Harris is the champion. Harris and Sims were both ranked among the leaders in the Conference in several statistics and divided the team leadership in most statistics. Harris led the Wolverines in points, minutes, assists, free throws made, free throw percentage and steals, while Sims led the team in field goal percentage, rebounds and blocked shots. Although Harris led the team in scoring for the season, Sims led the team in scoring in all its victories against ranked teams during the regular season and during the last five games before the NCAA tournament, while the team was on the bubble. However, Harris and Turner became the 4th and 5th players in conference history to finish in the top ten in the conference in average points, rebounds, and assists for a season since assists became a statistic in 1983–84, following Steve SmithSteve Smith (basketball)
Steven Delano "Steve" Smith is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the...
, Jim Jackson
Jim Jackson (basketball)
James Arthur "Jim" Jackson is an American retired professional basketball player. Over his 14 NBA seasons, Jackson was on the active roster of 12 different teams, tying the league record. He is currently a basketball analyst on the Big Ten Network.-High school and college career:Jackson was a 6'6"...
, and Brian Evans
Brian Evans (basketball)
Brian Keith Evans is an American professional basketball player who has formerly played in the NBA. A 6'8" and 220 lb forward, he played high school basketball at Terre Haute South, Indiana; Evans attended Indiana University from 1991–96, and played for the Hoosiers from 1992–96. Evans...
. After, Harris was named team MVP, he requested that Sims be recognized as co-MVP. Sims was recognized as co-MVP.
The team posted the following statistics:
| Name | GP | GS | Min | Avg | FG Field goal (basketball) In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,... |
FGA | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FT Free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team... |
FTA | FT% | OR | DR | RB Rebound (basketball) A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made... |
Avg | Ast Assist (basketball) In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist... |
Avg | PF Foul (basketball) In basketball, a foul is an infraction of the rules concerning illegal personal contact with an opponent and/or unsportsmanlike behavior. A personal foul is the most common type of foul in basketball. Due to the nature of the game, personal fouls occur on occasion and are not always regarded as... |
DQ | TO | Stl Steal (basketball) In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player... |
Blk | Pts Point (basketball) Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws .... |
Avg |
| Manny Harris | 35 | 35 | 1133 | 32.4 | 181 | 436 | 0.415 | 52 | 159 | 0.327 | 176 | 204 | 0.863 | 62 | 175 | 237 | 6.8 | 154 | 4.4 | 72 | 1 | 110 | 43 | 18 | 590 | 16.9 |
| DeShawn Sims | 35 | 26 | 1079 | 30.8 | 224 | 444 | 0.504 | 26 | 82 | 0.317 | 66 | 93 | 0.710 | 86 | 152 | 238 | 6.8 | 26 | 0.7 | 76 | 3 | 46 | 40 | 27 | 540 | 15.4 |
| Zack Novak | 34 | 22 | 967 | 28.4 | 72 | 194 | 0.371 | 52 | 151 | 0.344 | 31 | 45 | 0.689 | 33 | 87 | 120 | 3.5 | 48 | 1.4 | 77 | 0 | 30 | 17 | 1 | 227 | 6.7 |
| Stu Douglass | 35 | 23 | 795 | 22.7 | 71 | 193 | 0.368 | 52 | 155 | 0.335 | 19 | 28 | 0.679 | 11 | 39 | 50 | 1.4 | 74 | 2.1 | 35 | 0 | 44 | 26 | 4 | 213 | 6.1 |
| Laval Lucas-Perry | 26 | 12 | 472 | 18.1 | 47 | 126 | 0.373 | 31 | 90 | 0.344 | 43 | 55 | 0.782 | 9 | 35 | 44 | 1.7 | 31 | 1.2 | 32 | 0 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 168 | 6.5 |
| Zack Gibson | 35 | 9 | 425 | 12.1 | 59 | 122 | 0.484 | 7 | 30 | 0.233 | 12 | 24 | 0.500 | 32 | 44 | 76 | 2.2 | 16 | 0.5 | 52 | 0 | 24 | 14 | 26 | 137 | 3.9 |
| Kelvin Grady | 32 | 8 | 582 | 18.2 | 44 | 118 | 0.373 | 30 | 83 | 0.361 | 17 | 24 | 0.708 | 7 | 36 | 43 | 1.3 | 60 | 1.9 | 26 | 0 | 24 | 15 | 1 | 135 | 4.2 |
| C.J. Lee | 35 | 14 | 572 | 16.3 | 32 | 77 | 0.416 | 19 | 52 | 0.365 | 17 | 26 | 0.654 | 16 | 51 | 67 | 1.9 | 58 | 1.7 | 65 | 1 | 24 | 19 | 0 | 100 | 2.9 |
| Jevohn Shepherd | 29 | 5 | 289 | 10.0 | 31 | 68 | 0.456 | 4 | 21 | 0.190 | 12 | 20 | 0.600 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 1.1 | 23 | 0.8 | 27 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 78 | 2.7 |
| Anthony Wright | 25 | 7 | 280 | 11.2 | 22 | 65 | 0.338 | 16 | 48 | 0.333 | 8 | 13 | 0.615 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 1.8 | 16 | 0.6 | 18 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 68 | 2.7 |
| David Merritt | 35 | 14 | 476 | 13.6 | 22 | 56 | 0.393 | 13 | 37 | 0.351 | 7 | 8 | 0.875 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 0.8 | 36 | 1.0 | 48 | 0 | 24 | 15 | 0 | 64 | 1.8 |
| Eric Puls | 11 | 0 | 20 | 1.8 | 5 | 7 | 0.714 | 3 | 4 | 0.750 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1.2 | |
| Ben Cronin | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5.0 | 2 | 4 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4.0 | |
| TEAM | 35 | 43 | 56 | 99 | 2.8 | 1 | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Season Total | 35 | 812 | 1910 | 0.425 | 305 | 912 | 0.334 | 412 | 544 | 0.757 | 336 | 751 | 1087 | 31.1 | 542 | 15.5 | 534 | 5 | 402 | 223 | 92 | 2341 | 66.9 | |||
| Opponents | 35 | 811 | 1864 | 0.435 | 196 | 631 | 0.311 | 395 | 545 | 0.725 | 374 | 828 | 1202 | 34.3 | 484 | 13.8 | 545 | 476 | 179 | 107 | 2213 | 63.2 |
Schedule
|-!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
| Ex.
| November 6
| (exhibition)
| 81–55
| DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
– 19
| DeShawn Sims – 9
| Stu Douglass – 6
| Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...
, Ann Arbor, MI (6,701)
|
|-
!colspan=9| 2008–09 NCAA Division I Regular Season
2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2008 and ended with the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The season saw six different teams achieve the AP #1 ranking during the...
|-
| 1
| November 11
|
| 77–55
| Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
(1) – 30
| Sims (1) – 12
| Douglass (1) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (6,328)
| 1–0
|-
| 2
| November 12
|
| 76–56
| Harris (2) – 26
| Harris (1) – 10
| Harris (1) – 8
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (6,246)
| 2–0
|-
| 3
| November 20
| UCLA
2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team opened the season on November 3 when it took on Cal Baptist in an exhibition game in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins participated in the 2K Sports Classic, Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, and the John R...
(#4)
| 55–52
| Sims (1) – 18
| Harris (2)/Sims (2) – 5
| Douglass (2) – 4
| Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, New York (9,440)
| 3–0
|-
| 4
| November 21
| Duke (#10)
| 56–71
| Harris (3) – 25
| Zack Gibson (1) – 5
| Kelvin Grady (1) – 6
| Madison Square Garden, New York (12,543)
| 3–1
|-
| 5
| November 25
|
| 83–49
| Harris (4) – 16
| Harris (3) – 15
| Grady (2) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (7,544)
| 4–1
|-
| 6
| November 29
| Savannah State
2008–09 Savannah State Tigers men's basketball team
The 2008-2009 Savannah State Tigers men's basketball team competes in American basketball on behalf of Savannah State University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I-AA, currently as an independent...
| 66–64 (OT)
| Sims (2) – 23
| Sims (3) – 12
| Harris (2) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (8,190)
| 5–1
|-
| 7
| December 3
| @ Maryland
| 70–75
| Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
(5) – 15
| DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
(4) – 7
| Harris (3)/Jevohn Shepherd (1) – 4
| Comcast Center
Comcast Center (arena)
Comcast Center is the arena for the University of Maryland Terrapins men’s and women's basketball teams. The Comcast Center, dubbed "The House Gary Built", was ranked the 7th toughest venue to play in by EA Sports. The on-campus facility is named for the Comcast Corporation, which purchased a...
, College Park, MD (17,950)
| 5–2
|-
| 8
| December 6
| Duke (#4)
| 81–73
| Sims (3) – 28
| Sims (5) – 12
| Kelvin Grady (3) – 4
| Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...
, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 6–2
|-
| 9
| December 13
|
| 91–60
| Harris (6) – 22
| Harris (4) – 7
| Harris (4) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (9,768)
| 7–2
|-
| 10
| December 20
| @Oakland
2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball team representing Oakland University....
| 89–76
| Sims (4) – 20
| Sims (6) – 9
| Harris (5) – 13
| The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
, Auburn Hills, MI (10,113)
| 8–2
|-
| 11
| December 22
|
| 76–59
| Sims (5) – 20
| Sims (7) – 20
| Harris (6) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (8,279)
| 9–2
|-
| 12
| December 29
|
| 77–57
| Harris (7) – 29
| Harris (5) – 16
| Harris (7) – 7
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (10,390)
| 10–2
|-
!colspan=9| 2008–09 Big Ten Conference Season
2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marked the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. It was the 104th season of Big Ten Conference basketball play...
|-
| 13
| December 31
| Wisconsin
| 61–73
| Zack Novak (1) – 20
| Novak (1) – 8
| Harris (8) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,046)
| 10–3 (0–1)
|-
| 14
| January 4
| Illinois
2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2008–09 college basketball season...
| 74–64
| Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
(8) – 16
| DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
(8) – 9
| Harris (9)/Laval Lucas-Perry (1) – 5
| Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...
, Ann Arbor, MI (12,912)
| 11–3 (1–1)
|-
| 15
| January 7
| @Indiana
2008–09 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University. The Head Coach is Tom Crean. The team plays its home games in the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference....
| 72–66 (OT)
| Lucas-Perry (1) – 18
| Harris (6) – 11
| Kelvin Grady (4) – 4
| Assembly Hall
Assembly Hall (Bloomington)
Assembly Hall is a 17,456-seat arena on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball teams. It opened in 1971 , replacing the current Gladstein Fieldhouse. The court is named after Branch McCracken, the men's basketball coach who led...
, Bloomington, IN (11,044)
| 12–3 (2–1)
|-
| 16
| January 11
| Iowa
2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents The University of Iowa in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The team is led by head coach Todd Lickliter. The team will play their home games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which the team has done since 1983.- Roster :- Schedule and Results...
| 64–49
| Harris (9) – 18
| Harris (7) – 8
| Harris (10) – 5
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,835)
| 13–3 (3–1)
|-
| 17
| January 14
| @Illinois
2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2008–09 college basketball season...
| 51–66
| Harris (10) – 20
| Zack Novak (2) – 9
| Harris (11) – 3
| Assembly Hall
Assembly Hall (Champaign)
Assembly Hall is a large dome-shaped indoor arena, located in Champaign, Illinois, and is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign....
, Champaign, IL (15,535)
| 13–4 (3–2)
|-
| 18
| January 17
| Ohio State
| 58–65
| Harris (11) – 21
| Harris (8) – 7
| Harris (12) – 6
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 13–5 (3–3)
|-
| 19
| January 20
| @Penn State
2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University and completed the season by winning the 2009 National Invitation Tournament over the Baylor Bears at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Head Coach, Ed DeChellis, coached his sixth season with the team...
| 58–73
| Sims (6) – 21
| Sims (9) – 11
| Douglass (3) – 3
| Bryce Jordan Center
Bryce Jordan Center
Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania. The arena opened in 1995 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It replaced Rec Hall as the home to the Penn State University Nittany Lions men's and women's basketball team, the...
, State College, PA (8,730)
| 13–6 (3–4)
|-
| 20
| January 24
|
| 68–59
| Sims (7) – 15
| Harris (9) – 12
| Harris (13)/C.J. Lee (1)/Lucas-Perry (2) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (11,468)
| 14–6 (4–4)
|-
| 21
| January 28
| @Ohio State
| 54–72
| Harris (12) – 22
| Harris (10) – 12
| Grady (5)/Harris (14)/Lee (2) – 3
| Jerome Schottenstein Center
Jerome Schottenstein Center
The Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States...
Columbus, OH (16,363)
| 14–7 (4–5)
|-
| 22
| January 31
| @Purdue
2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University. The Head Coach was Matt Painter, then in his 4th season with the Boilers. The team played its home games in Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
(#16)
| 49–67
| Sims (8)/Jevohn Shepherd (1) – 10
| Sims (10) – 5
| Grady (6)/Stu Douglass (4) – 4
| Mackey Arena
Mackey Arena
Mackey Arena is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Part of the Purdue University campus, it is home to the university's basketball teams, and occasionally hosts home games for the volleyball and wrestling teams...
, West Lafayette, IN
| 14–8 (4–6)
|-
| 23
| February 5
| Penn State
2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University and completed the season by winning the 2009 National Invitation Tournament over the Baylor Bears at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Head Coach, Ed DeChellis, coached his sixth season with the team...
| 71–51
| Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
(13) – 28
| DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
(11) – 7
| Harris (15) – 7
| Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...
, Ann Arbor, MI (10,134)
| 15–8 (5–6)
|-
| 24
| February 7
| @Connecticut
2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Jim Calhoun, the Huskies played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A...
(#1)
| 61–69
| Stu Douglass (1) – 20
| Zack Gibson (1)/Harris (11)/Sims (12) – 4
| Harris (16) – 5
| Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena...
, Storrs, CT (10,167)
| 15–9 (5–6)
|-
| 25
| February 10
| Michigan State
2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI...
(#9)
| 42–54
| Sims (9) – 18
| Harris (12) – 7
| Harris (17)/Zack Novak (1) – 3
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 15–10 (5–7)
|-
| 26
| February 15
| @
| 70–67 (OT)
| Harris (14) – 26
| Novak (3) – 7
| Douglass (5) – 4
| Welsh-Ryan Arena
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Welsh-Ryan Arena is an 8,117-seat multi-purpose arena in Evanston, Illinois. The arena opened in 1952 as McGaw Memorial Hall. It is home to the Northwestern University Wildcats basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams. It is located to the north of Ryan Field on the athletic campus, and also...
, Evanston, IL (7,234)
| 16–10 (6–7)
|-
| 27
| February 19
| Minnesota
2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the college basketball season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach is Tubby Smith. This is his second year as Minnesota's head coach. The Golden Gophers played their home games at Williams Arena in...
| 74–62
| Novak (2) – 18
| Sims (13) – 8
| C. J. Lee (3) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (10,520)
| 17–10 (7–7)
|-
| 28
| February 22
| @Iowa
2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents The University of Iowa in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The team is led by head coach Todd Lickliter. The team will play their home games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which the team has done since 1983.- Roster :- Schedule and Results...
| 60–70 (OT)
| Douglass (2) – 14
| Sims (14) – 8
| Harris (18) – 6
| Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Carver–Hawkeye Arena is a 15,500-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Iowa City, Iowa. Opened in 1983, it is the home court for The University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the university's wrestling, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. It was named for the...
, Iowa City, IA (14,462)
| 17–11 (7–8)
|-
| 29
| February 26
| Purdue
2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University. The Head Coach was Matt Painter, then in his 4th season with the Boilers. The team played its home games in Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
(#16)
| 87–78
| Sims (10) – 29
| Harris (13) – 8
| Douglass (6)/Harris (19) – 4
| Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI (13,751)
| 18–11 (8–8)
|-
| 30
| March 1
| @Wisconsin
| 55–60
| DeShawn Sims
DeShawn Sims
-College:-Freshman and sophomore years:At the University of Michigan, Sims started two games as a freshman and all 32 games as a sophomore. His brother, Marcus Pruitt, who was a junior at Pershing, was fatally shot during Sims's freshman year...
(11) – 17
| Manny Harris
Manny Harris
Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is a former All-Big Ten Conference guard who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team...
(14) – 8
| C. J. Lee (4) – 4
| Kohl Center
Kohl Center
The Kohl Center is an arena and athletic center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The building, which opened in 1998, is the home of the university's men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams. Seating capacity is variable, as the center can be rearranged to accommodate...
, Madison, WI (17,230)
| 18–12 (8–9)
|-
| 31
| March 7
| @Minnesota
2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the college basketball season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach is Tubby Smith. This is his second year as Minnesota's head coach. The Golden Gophers played their home games at Williams Arena in...
| 67–64
| Sims (12) – 24
| Zack Gibson (2)/Harris (15)/Laval Lucas-Perry (1)/Sims (15) – 2
| Harris (20) – 6
| Williams Arena
Williams Arena
Williams Arena, located on the Twin Cities main campus of the University of Minnesota is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's and women's basketball teams, and the men's and women's hockey teams until 1992, when the hockey teams received their own buildings...
, Minneapolis, MN (14,625)
| 19–12 (9–9)
|-
!colspan=9| 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played during Championship Week between March 12 and March 15, 2009 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner, the Purdue Boilermakers, received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Purdue defeated Ohio State...
|-
| 32/BT1
| March 12
| Iowa
2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents The University of Iowa in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The team is led by head coach Todd Lickliter. The team will play their home games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which the team has done since 1983.- Roster :- Schedule and Results...
| 73–45
| Sims (13) – 27
| Harris (16) – 7
| Harris (21) – 8
| Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
, Indianapolis, IN
| 20–12 (9–9)
|-
| 33/BT2
| March 13
| Illinois
2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2008–09 college basketball season...
| 50–60
| Sims (14) – 15
| Sims (16) – 8
| Harris (22) – 4
| Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
| 20–13 (9–9)
|-
!colspan=9| 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
|-
| 34/NCAA1
| March 19
| Clemson (#24)
| 62–59
| Harris (15) – 23
| Harris (17) – 7
| Harris (23) – 6
| Sprint Center
Sprint Center
Sprint Center is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The building is located at 14th Street and Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District...
,
| 21–13 (9–9)
|-
| 35/NCAA2
| March 21
| Oklahoma
2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach is Jeff Capel, who was in his third year with the team...
(#7)
| 63–73
| Sims (15)/Anthony Wright (1) – 14
| Sims (17) – 6
| Harris (24) – 3
| Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
| 21–14 (9–9)
|-
Bold text indicates game high; (nth time player led stat)
See also
- 2008-09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
- 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball TournamentThe 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played during Championship Week between March 12 and March 15, 2009 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner, the Purdue Boilermakers, received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Purdue defeated Ohio State...
- 2009 National Invitation Tournament2009 National Invitation Tournament-Semifinals and finals:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 31 and April 2* denotes each overtime played-NIT Championship:...
- 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
- 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team2008 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
- 2008-09 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season
- NCAA Men's Division I Tournament bids by schoolNCAA Men's Division I Tournament bids by schoolThis is a list of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bids by school, as of 2011. Schools whose names are italicized are no longer in Division I, and can no longer be included in the tournament....
- NCAA Men's Division I Tournament bids by school and conference
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament all-time team recordsNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament all-time team recordsThis is a list of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament all-time records, as of 2010. Schools whose names are italicized are no longer in Division I, and can no longer be included in the tournament...
External links
- Michigan Wolverines men's basketball official website
- stats @ ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....