The Last Time Michigan Played Toledo in Basketball
Looking ahead to our big rivalry game against that team from Ohio this week ... here's a little history of Michigan v. Toledo in the two big sports.
The last time we played Toledo in anything was football in 2008, and we won't talk about that. That was, in fact, the only time we ever played Toledo in football. I hope we never play Toledo again in football.
We've played the Rockets 11 times in basketball, and Michigan holds a 6-5 edge. You'll find the entire rivalry history here.
The last time we've met on the hardwood was in November of 1983, when Bill Frieder's boys beat Toledo in the season-opener, 55-52. Here's the box score from that game. Leslie Rockymore was on fire!
December 8th, 2020 at 2:53 PM ^
FYI - Tim McCormick left with an injury in the first half, hence his sparse stat line. Michigan went on to win the NIT that season.
December 8th, 2020 at 2:55 PM ^
BursleyHall82 is the new Wolverine Devotee
December 8th, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:24 PM ^
Show us pictures of your gear or forget it.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:38 PM ^
What happened to WD? I remember he got banned over something stupid, but did he never come back?
December 8th, 2020 at 8:23 PM ^
He got banned for something stupid (racism/sexism something-ism accusation that pretty clearly was not whatever the accusation was, but the staff here are, well, you know) and then proceeded to throw one of the most insane tantrums I've ever seen on Twitter about it, freaking the hell out at Ace (who responded incredibly poorly himself, but apparently found a hidden immunity idol). So, uh... The ship has sailed.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:20 PM ^
Literally my first thought reading this was, “Wait, is WD back?” Had to check the poster.
December 8th, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
Not that I would have otherwise known this, but Dylan at UMHoops noted that Beilein liked to use Toledo as a preseason secret scrimmage opponent because they are offensively-focused and like to spread the floor a bit. So we have played them more recently than 2008, but only on a super-secret (not available to media/fans) basis.
December 8th, 2020 at 2:59 PM ^
Great tidbit. Did not know that. So he had his mind on teams in Ohio way back then.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:12 PM ^
I think Akron also played that secret scrimmage role once or twice.
December 9th, 2020 at 10:36 AM ^
It wasn't on PPV? I wonder if a student manager can sneak out some of the practice tapes.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:04 PM ^
Should've beaten them by 25. Fire Frieder!
December 8th, 2020 at 3:21 PM ^
Can’t. He’s holding a bunch of white shoulder towels hostage...
December 8th, 2020 at 4:03 PM ^
There were plenty of people who complained about Frieder. I overheard him complaining about the complaining in Thano's Lamplighter a week before he sneaked out of town to ASU.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
UM's first "Fab Five" class -- I was at that game.
Frieder was a great recruiter but a poor game day coach from an offensive perspective. I haven't seen another team double down so consistently defensively like his did. Probably no need to do so anymore most of the time with so many teams playing five out.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
The three-point line was just put in 1982 and it wasn't the same game before then.
For all that "complaining" about Juwan Howard's line ups not blowing out teams in preseason, remember how Bobby Knights teams looked "awful" in December and then by the tourney it didn't matter?
December 8th, 2020 at 4:57 PM ^
3-point line was instituted in 86-87 season.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:10 PM ^
Frieder's teams always played to the level of their competition. It was maddening.
Also Keith Wade, Brandon's dad was a PG for the Rockets. Shame kid isn't eligible.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:28 PM ^
look at our roster, we were loaded. tarpley, mccormick, antoine 'mr. basketball' joubert, garde thompson, leslie, eric turner.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:45 PM ^
That reminds me of my Dad's nickname for Joubert... Whadthafuq Joubert. I heard it so many times in that cadence, I thought it was another French name.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:13 PM ^
Reeves Northrup was Toledo's Steve Stoyko.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:20 PM ^
Butch Wade and Richard Rellford would’ve been better DTs than Harbaugh has now.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
We had some "Butcher" t-shirts made. Guy was a beast -- limited offensively but a beast!
December 8th, 2020 at 4:22 PM ^
Loved Rellford and Wade. They fulfilled their roles perfectly and were consummate team players that often did the unnoticed dirty work (defense, rebounding).
December 8th, 2020 at 6:45 PM ^
Ah, Butch Wade. "The Unit"
December 8th, 2020 at 3:25 PM ^
When bob nickles was the coach, Toledo had some awesome teams. For the opening game Toledo played an early Bobby knight Indiana teams fresh off an NC. Toledo beat them by 3 if memory serves. Haven’t been the same since Nickles was retired.
December 8th, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
It was the first game of the year with a very young team and down McCormick.
That was one hell of a freshman class that year with Tarpley, Henderson, Jokisch, Rellford & Butch Wade.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:22 PM ^
They were freshmen the year before this game, right?
December 8th, 2020 at 3:47 PM ^
Ah....1983:
The Dow was at 1258
Federal Funds rate 11%
Price of a gallon of gas, $1.25
The US invades Granada
Mario Brother's debuts
M*A*S*H series ends
December 8th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
and Porky's II on the big screen.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:21 PM ^
Seems like Tarpley spent most of his time playing Pac Man in the basement of South Quad.
I knew his cocaine dealer in the dorm. Ran into the guy decades later at a meeting of a Catholic men's group. Guy was still a scammer and had his hooks into an unsuspecting young lady who was his meal ticket.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:47 PM ^
I ran into Tarpley, Ralford and Joubert in East Quad. They were looking for a dude named Alex. Alex was a known coke dealer. (They had no other reason to hang out in East Quad.)
Rumor was Alex used to deliver to them before games.
December 8th, 2020 at 11:39 PM ^
I wonder why they had to go all the way to EQ as there were no fewer than a half dozen dealers in SQ.
Joking aside, really a shame what happened to Tarpley. He had it all from a skill set perspective and ended up being a better pro than collegian. I think he would have made it to the HoF had he been clean.
I played BB on St. Thomas a number of times with Eddie Lee Chavez. He was from Panama but played collegiately in the US and then spent some time in the CBA. He knew ET from the CBA and told me he was the dirtiest guy he'd ever played against. Take it FWIW but it did make me laugh at the time.
December 9th, 2020 at 8:08 AM ^
To keep it in perspective, cocaine was everywhere in the early 80's.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:31 PM ^
Love this post! No Toledo/M hoops mention is complete w/o Harvey Knuckles.
Add Paul Jokich and we definitely could have fielded a defensive line on any football team.
Had the great experience of seeing The Time/ Prince at Crisler in 1983 with members of this team.
December 8th, 2020 at 4:47 PM ^
My old buddy Jihad played at Toledo and is moving up the ranks from Huron bball coach to grad assistant at UofM to assistant coach to assistant coach with beilein in Cleveland to Butler now. Could be a guy to keep an eye on in another decade
December 8th, 2020 at 4:57 PM ^
Antoine “The Judge” Joubert. What a great memory!
December 8th, 2020 at 5:05 PM ^
December 8th, 2020 at 5:59 PM ^
A ditty I composed in my head, once when I was hitch-hiking out of Ann Arbor:
Nobody wants to go to Toledo
Nobody stops to give me a ride
Nobody wants to go to Toledo
Come to think of it, neither do I
December 8th, 2020 at 6:20 PM ^
Names from the past. The infamous Dan Pelekoudas, a less than popular point guard under Frieder.
December 8th, 2020 at 11:46 PM ^
Dangerous Dan! Spastic playing style -- guy found evermore ways to turn the ball over!
Another guy from that era -- Jon Antonides from Sarnia. His profile in the programs read something like "very good hockey player in high school -- has issues dribbling and shooting the ball".
Can't even fathom the leverage a 7'2" dude could get on a slap shot.
My sophomore year might have been the nadir of UM BB in the modern era -- poor Ike Person!
December 9th, 2020 at 12:52 AM ^
Upvote for Ike Person reference.
December 9th, 2020 at 8:28 AM ^
This team had 6-10 Tim McCormick, 6-11 Roy Tarpley and 7-2 Jon Antonides. Not sure we’ve ever had a team with more height.
December 9th, 2020 at 10:40 AM ^
I'd love to see us schedule 2 more with Toledo football to get the overall record over .500.
December 9th, 2020 at 2:41 PM ^
What about the football game in 2008 against Toledo ???