"Old School" Michigan BB games

Submitted by WolverineHistorian on

I was recently given a huge box of old Michigan football and basketball games as a gift from a very generous fan who watches on my YouTube account.  As you all know, my account mainly celebrates Wolverine football but looking through these tapes, there are 20 basketball games that some people might enjoy.  I'll upload highlights of them if anyone is interested.  Although, it should be noted that the majority of them are from the Fab Five era.  And I'm sure the eventual Ed Martin scandal might make reliving these games pretty tough for some or all.  

Here's what I have...

*1987 Wisconsin game: Won 77-64 @ Crisler

*1988 Iowa game:  Won 120-103 @ Crisler

*1991 Rice game:  Won 87-70 @ Crisler

*1992 Michigan State game:  Won 89-79 @ Breslin

*1992 Final Four game against Cincinnati:  Won 76-72 @ the Metrodome

*1992 National title game against Duke:  Lost 71-51 @ the Metrodome

*1993 Purdue game:  Won 80-70 @ Mackey Arena

*1993 Minnesota game:  Won 80-73 @ Williams Arena

*1993 Illinois game:  Won 76-68 @ Crisler

*1993 Penn State game:  Won 80-70 @ Bryce Jordan

*1993 Minnesota game:  Won 84-69 @ Crisler

*1993 Elite Eight game against Temple:  Won 77-72

*1993 Final Four game against Kentucky:  Won 81-78

*1993 National title game against North Carolina:  Lost 77-72 (The infamous Chris Webber timeout game)

*1994 Ohio State game:  Won 72-70 @ Their old arena.  Don't know the name of it.

*1994 Michigan State game:  Won 59-51 @ Breslin

*1994 Iowa game:  Won 89-76 @ Crisler

*1994 Minnesota game:  Won 72-65 @ Crisler

*1994 Ohio State game:  Won 86-75 @ Crisler

*1994 Iowa game:  Won 71-70 @ Carver Hawkeye Arena

*1994 Michigan State game:  Won 76-64 @ Crisler

*1998 Big Ten Tournament game against Minnesota:  Won 85-69

*1998 Big Ten Tournament Championship game against Purdue:  Won 76-67

Anyone interested in seeing highlights of these down the road? 

Michigan4Life

February 10th, 2011 at 6:03 PM ^

Pretty much everybody expected Kentucky to roll over Fab 5 and it's justified when Kentucky has dominated the entire NCAA tourney while the Fab 5 sort of limped into the final 4.  Kentucky also has one of the better player in the country in Jamal Mashburn.

 

This is probably the best game that Fab 5 have played and they did such a great job of frustrating Kentucky which took them out of their game.  Juwan Howard did a fine job of guarding Mashburn which is a gamble by the coaching staff but it paid off well

Engin77

February 10th, 2011 at 6:42 PM ^

while the game against UK was a great game, it was a much tougher game for UM than the game UNC had against Kansas, which preceded UM-UK in the double header. UM was not nearly as energized two night later, ignoring the time-out call.

blueheron

February 10th, 2011 at 8:08 PM ^

I think you're both right.  I always felt that the Kentucky game was the high point of the Fab Five experience and I think they were a bit spent when it came time for the championship.

After all these years, I still can't get over the talent disparity between the teams.  It's not like Carolina had scrubs, but no one in their line-up had a career like Webber, Howard, or Rose.  It also seemed partly like a demonstration that good coaching matters.

mGrowOld

February 10th, 2011 at 9:42 PM ^

I was there and one of the coolest thing about that game has seldom been talked about (or at least I've never seen it).  On Thursday before the game both teams had an open practice at the Superdome.  And both teams were on the floor for a bit at the same time - Michigan at one end and Kentucky at the other.

At one point Kentucky started launching 3's......hitting one after another.   Michigan started dunking.  Kentucky players started stepping back a bit further from the line.....Michigan started doing more crazy dunks.   And both teams were watching each other.

Finally Kentucky was shooting from well behind the pro three point line at the same time C-Webb, Jalen, King & Jackson were all throwing down with a variety of tomahawk, windmill and other insane dunks (Howard wasn't really into it for some reason).  Both teams watching each other....both teams trying to intimidate in their own own way.

It was fantastic.

The Barwis Effect

February 11th, 2011 at 9:36 AM ^

Was listening to U-M basketball on the radio recently. PBP man Matt Shepherd mentioned Steve Grote and to my disappointment, color man and former U-M team captain David Merritt had absolutely no idea who Shepherd was talking about.  This is truly embarrassing, especially when you consider U-M hoops has an end of the year award named after Grote.  Clearly, somebody is not doing a good job of selling/teaching the rich history and tradition of U-M basketball to players of a more recent vintage.

Braylon 5 Hour…

February 10th, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^

From a UM historical perspective I'd love to see all Fab 5 era stuff on there; whatever the NCAA says I still remember watching that stuff as a 7-10 year old and would love to see it with a new perspective now.

Kilgore Trout

February 10th, 2011 at 10:07 PM ^

That was an awesome game.  Funny how things like Webber fouling Hurley on the three, up three late in the game come right back to you when you see it again.      

The other thing that jumps out at me is that UM should go back to that court.  Everyone has the "retro" classic type look now.  That yellow lane with the M at center court is quality.  

03 Blue 07

February 10th, 2011 at 10:47 PM ^

Honestly, for me, the Fab Five were what got me into liking U of M. I grew up 500 miles away, had parents who attended a different Big Ten school, etc. The Fab Five became prominent when I was 11-14 years old (counting the year when Jalen, Jimmy, Ray, and Juwan were still there) and it does make me wonder if I'd have ended up attending U of M if they'd never existed. Loved, loved loved the Fab 5. It really sucks that it's all tarnished now. But those memories, and that team. . . iconic.

Naked Bootlegger

February 10th, 2011 at 10:45 PM ^

Definitely the most energetic crowd I experienced in my undergrad years at UM.  Would love to see Crisler rockin' like this again.

My only bone to pick  with the Fab 5 years (besides, obviously, the Ed Martin scandal) was being a faithful student hoops season ticket holder the previous two years - including the mediocre '90/'91 season with D. Calip as our stud, supported by Sam Mitchell, Rich McIver, Tolbert, Talley and Riley - then getting my ticket status eliminated when the lottery system was enacted due to high student ticket demand.   Suck it fairweather fans!  Where were you when Tolbert was launching ill-advised "3"'s and Rich McIver couldn't hit a FT to save his life?!  Not bitter at all.

ngroves

February 10th, 2011 at 5:40 PM ^

I want to see the game where Billy Packer chastises them as disgraceful.  I think it was a win over MSU when Jalen got up on the scorers table and danced after the final buzzer.

ngroves

February 10th, 2011 at 5:47 PM ^

Actually, I'd love highlights of all the Fab Five games.  Whether it be the Martin controversy or not, BTN or ESPN Classic never play them and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Fab Five pretty much change college sports for better or worse?  In fact, Fab Five should have been a 30 for 30 episode!

GoPackGo

February 10th, 2011 at 5:59 PM ^

but I seem to remember reading a Bill Simmons piece stating that ESPN 30 for 30 was such a success that the network was going to work on a new series of documentaries, one of which was to be the Fab 5...can anyone confirm/remember this or am I just losing it?

BRCE

February 10th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^

This is insane. I almost sent WolverineHistorian a youtube message TODAY asking him if he ever had plans to post basketball games, particularly from the Fab Five. I would have loved to have watched a summary of the Kentucky '93 game. Just nuts that you posted this.

And those opposed to you (or any of us) celebrating the Fab Five can GTFO.

st barth

February 10th, 2011 at 5:54 PM ^

I love watching the Fab 5.  When they were running on all cylinders it was just beautiful and so much fun to watch.  

It was really a shame that they couldn't quite get a championship.

Flying Dutchman

February 10th, 2011 at 6:34 PM ^

Bring on the Fab Five.  I could give two shits about Ed Martin, because I'm certain that there are 2 Ed Martins in East Lansing, 2 Ed Martins in Lexington, 2 Ed Martins in Syracuse...

Tater

February 10th, 2011 at 7:57 PM ^

And it would be just desserts if EL's version of Ed Martin were ever exposed.  I would love to see MSU have to fight out of the hole Michigan has had to for the last ten years.  I had "high" hopes that the Zach Randolph drug investigation in Indianapolis would expose a "bread crumb trail" back to EL, but it hasn't happened yet.  

One can always hope, though.  This year is going a long way to prove that Tom Izzo's success is predicated a lot more on having ten years of carte blanche for recruiting instate and the talent it helped bring in than any great coaching prowess.  

I'm not saying that Izzo can't coach, but I am saying that he would have a lot less Final Fours on his resume if the Martin debacle hadn't tilted recruiting so far in his favor.  As we are seeing this year, it only takes a few less four or five-star players to turn MSU into a mediocre program.  

03 Blue 07

February 10th, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^

And if they were made into torrents, I'd probably download and burn them so I can have them forever and show my son someday. Or daughter. Late-80's to early-90's college hoops, generally, was (in my mind) the best it got because of the talent level and the iconic teams and players. Just think, for example, about how absurd the Big Ten was in 1989; the documentary they run on BTN about it is really good.

Engin77

February 10th, 2011 at 6:50 PM ^

You can catch the championship game against St. Johns from time to time, but the semi against the Illini, who had defeated UM both times the teams met in the regular season, was a classic. Thank-you, Sean Higgins.

Blueroller

February 10th, 2011 at 7:35 PM ^

That was Seton Hall, with P.J. Carlesimo, not St. John's. What a game! The Final Four was in Seattle that year. My brother was doing an internship there and some very nice folks from North Carolina offered him a spare ticket to the championship game. That remains the only college basketball game he ever attended – Michigan's only national championship, and in overtime to boot. When he called the next day I said did you get a chance to watch that game? He said "I was there!"

BRCE

February 10th, 2011 at 7:43 PM ^

If WolverineHistorian puts thorough highlight summaries of these games on his account, I will send him a gift card to The Chop House. I'm not kidding.

The '91 Rice game (my first time at Crisler), the Fab Five's first time at Breslin, all the Final Four games from '92-'93, the Temple game from '93 (complete with Cheney going psycho on the sidelines), and the '98 Purdue matchup (first ever BT tourney title game) would top my list of must-sees.

The only ones from that era I'd truly love to relive but not on this list are: the '93 UCLA game (overtime, came back from 19 down in the first half) and Illinois from the same season (where Jalen shut up the Champaign crowd chanting "Craaaack-hoooouse" all night).

Soooooo excited to see some of this up on the channel.

 

steve sharik

February 10th, 2011 at 8:15 PM ^

I would also love to see the end of the UM-MSU game at Crisler the Fab Five's freshmen season.  Sparty won, and Mark Montgomery was dribbling up across half court holding his finger high in the air with a "we're number one" sign.  Juwan promplty came across and hip-checked him into the scorer's table and a brou-ha-ha nearly ensued.

By the way, the old O-state arena was St. John arena, where Jimmy Jackson and little Jay Burson plied their craft (not at the same time, obvs.).

profitgoblue

February 10th, 2011 at 8:17 PM ^

I don't remember the year ('95?) or the opponent, but watching Traylor break the backboard in person at Crisler was outstanding.  It was anti-climatic, of course.  We had to sit around for 20 minutes while they rolled in a new basket.  But I'll never forget watching him high-step it all the way to the other end of the court.

blueheron

February 10th, 2011 at 8:18 PM ^

I've mentioned this on some other board topic.  One game I'd really like to see again is the regional final in '89.  Michigan beat Virginia really badly: 102-65.  Glen Rice and Sean Higgins combined to shoot some ridiculous number (70+%) from the three-point line on *many* attempts.   Not much of a game, really, but fun to watch ...

TESOE

February 10th, 2011 at 8:40 PM ^

I attended every basketball in Crisler and many post season games from 1980 to 1993, and  several others before and since. The memories run deep and Ed Martin doesn't come to mind in reliving those memories at all.  It was a formative time for myself, family and friends with whom I shared those times.

My sincere thanks for all you do.

Umich4Life

February 10th, 2011 at 9:18 PM ^

Yeah!  I loved the Fab 5, scandal or no scandal.  I'd love to see the highlights of the 1993 NCAA tournament  game against UCLA.  When we got smoked in the 1st half by Ed O'Bannon but fought back to overcome a 20+ point deficit.  One of my all time fav games...also the game against Temple too.  That was one dirty game there!  Go Blue!