Breaking down Michigan's extremely successful history in the Big Ten Tournament
Michigan Wolverines basketball has a lot on the line in this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. The Maize and Blue are the No. 8 seed set for a matchup with No. 9 seed Rutgers, fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid and hunting for their fourth-ever Big Ten Tournament championship.
Michigan won the inaugural event in 1998, behind victories over Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue (though the wins were later vacated), and didn’t win again until 2017. That occurrence had a storybook type of feel, with the Wolverines’ plane sliding off the runway at Willow Run Airport the day before arriving just before tip-off and beating Illinois in their practice jerseys. That kicked off a weekend that included four wins in four days, knocking off Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin in Washington D.C.
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That year, the Wolverines were the No. 8 seed and still stand as the lowest seed to win the Big Ten Tournament, showing that taking home the title isn’t impossible this year, either. Due in part to Michigan’s run that season, the eighth seed actually has the sixth-highest winning percentage at the event (.500), sitting ahead of the 4 (.410) and 7 (.455) seeds. Michigan also became the first team to win four straight games en route to the title.
Michigan became the third-ever squad to win back-to-back championships in 2018, joining Michigan State (1999-20) and Ohio State (2010-11), winning four consecutive games — over Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue — as the No. 5 seed.
Beyond just having won the third-most championships behind Michigan State (6) and Ohio State (5), Michigan is almost always in the mix for a deep run. Last season, the Wolverines blew a 17-point lead with 11 minutes to go and fell in their first game against Indiana. That was the first time the Maize and Blue lost their first Big Ten Tournament contest since 2006, when former head man Tommy Amaker was at the helm.
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That marked a 14-event streak of at least winning one outing — 13 under former head coach John Beilein and one under current head man Juwan Howard. Beilein had a 21-10 record in the Big Ten Tournament, with that .677 winning percentage ranking fourth-highest among coaches. He’s one of five coaches to win multiple titles.
Michigan has made the semifinals in five of the last six and eight of the last 11 events, as well as the finals in three of the last five.
Michigan has a .556 winning percentage in the Big Ten Tournament, which ranks fourth among all teams in the conference behind Michigan State (.654), Ohio State (.638) and Illinois (.596). Only two other teams — Wisconsin (.553) and Iowa (.500) have .500 or better records in the event.
Here’s a look at Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament results through the years.
| Year | How Far Michigan Advanced | Knocked Out By |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Championship | Michigan beat Purdue for the title |
| 1999 | Quarterfinals | Ohio State |
| 2000 | Opening Round | Penn State |
| 2001 | Opening Round | Penn State |
| 2002 | Quarterfinals | Ohio State |
| 2003 | Quarterfinals | Indiana |
| 2004 | Semifinals | Illinois |
| 2005 | Opening Round | Northwestern |
| 2006 | Opening Round | Minnesota |
| 2007 | Quarterfinals | Ohio State |
| 2008 | Quarterfinals | Wisconsin |
| 2009 | Quarterfinals | Illinois |
| 2010 | Quarterfinals | Ohio State |
| 2011 | Semifinals | Ohio State |
| 2012 | Semifinals | Ohio State |
| 2013 | Quarterfinals | Wisconsin |
| 2014 | Championship | Michigan State |
| 2015 | Quarterfinals | Wisconsin |
| 2016 | Semifinals | Purdue |
| 2017 | Championship | Michigan beat Wisconsin for the title |
| 2018 | Championship | Michigan beat Purdue for the title |
| 2019 | Championship | Michigan State |
| 2021 | Semifinals | Ohio State |
| 2022 | Second round | Indiana |
