Skip to main content
michigan logo

Breaking down Michigan's extremely successful history in the Big Ten Tournament

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•03/08/23•

CSayf23

Michigan Wolverines basketball Big Ten Tournament 2018
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

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.

RELATED

• Juwan Howard on 2022-23 narrative: ‘The season’s not over’

• Michigan basketball: Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin, Jett Howard land on All-Big Ten teams

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.

Top 10

  1. 1

    Bryce Underwood

    Connor Stalions poses for pic with QB commit

  2. 2

    Vince Young calls shot

    Horns legend predicts Kentucky game score

  3. 3

    Kiffin trolls Napier

    Ole Miss HC texts Kirk Herbstreit to fire shot

  4. 4

    College GameDay picks

    Lee Corso dons Indiana helmet

  5. 5

    Curt Cignetti

    'They can stick it up their you know what'

View All

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.

YearHow Far Michigan AdvancedKnocked Out By
1998ChampionshipMichigan beat Purdue for the title
1999QuarterfinalsOhio State
2000Opening RoundPenn State
2001Opening RoundPenn State
2002QuarterfinalsOhio State
2003QuarterfinalsIndiana
2004SemifinalsIllinois
2005Opening RoundNorthwestern
2006Opening RoundMinnesota
2007QuarterfinalsOhio State
2008QuarterfinalsWisconsin
2009QuarterfinalsIllinois
2010QuarterfinalsOhio State
2011SemifinalsOhio State
2012SemifinalsOhio State
2013QuarterfinalsWisconsin
2014ChampionshipMichigan State
2015QuarterfinalsWisconsin
2016SemifinalsPurdue
2017ChampionshipMichigan beat Wisconsin for the title
2018ChampionshipMichigan beat Purdue for the title
2019ChampionshipMichigan State
2021SemifinalsOhio State
2022Second roundIndiana

You may also like