With Michigan’s 84-70 win at Illinois last Friday night, the Wolverines officially won the Big Ten regular season championship outright. This is the 16th regular season championship in program history. As we slowly shift our attention to the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, it’s important to look back at history to see what we should expect.
How has Michigan performed in both postseason tournaments in years in which the Wolverines have won the regular season title? Let’s dive in to find out.
Pre-postseason: 1921, 1926, 1927, 1929
Michigan’s first four Big Ten championships came at a time when neither the Big Ten Tournament (1998) nor the NCAA Tournament (1939) existed yet. E.J. Mather led the team from 1919-1928 and won three championships over that span. Notably, Bennie Oosterbaan was an All-American on the 1927 team.
Mather unfortunately succumbed to a battle with cancer in 1928, leading to George Veenker taking over. In his first season at the helm, Venkeer led the Wolverines to a conference championship in the spring of 1929.
Post-WWII: 1948
Head coach Ozzie Cowles caught lightning in a bottle in the 1947-48 season. The Wolverines went 10-2 in the Big Ten and made the then-eight team NCAA Tournament. Michigan lost in the first round (a.k.a. the quarterfinals) to Holy Cross, 63-45. They then won the East Regional third-place game when those were still in existence.
1960s: 1964, 1965, 1966
Michigan won back-to-back-to-back Big Ten championships in the mid-60s under head coach Dave Strack. Led by Cazzie Russell and Bill Buntin, the Wolverines made deep runs in each of the three NCAA Tournaments, which at the time had 25 participants. In 1964, they made the Final Four before falling to Duke, 91-80. The 1965 team went one step further, making the National Championship before falling to Gail Goodrich’s UCLA Bruins. The next year was a small step back, as Michigan fell to Kentucky in the Elite Eight, 84-77.
1970s: 1974, 1977
Led by Johnny Orr, the Wolverines returned to prominence in the Big Ten in the mid-1970s. The 1974 squad was led by Campy Russell and C.J. Kupec and made it to the Elite Eight before falling to Marquette. By 1977, the NCAA Tournament had expanded from 25 teams to 32 teams. Michigan was the favorite in the Mideast Region. The Phil Hubbard and Rickey Green-led Wolverines dispatched Holy Cross and Detroit before being upset by UNC Charlotte in the Elite Eight again, 75-68.
1980s: 1985, 1986
Nearly a decade later, Bill Frieder brought two more Big Ten championships to Ann Arbor. Led by Roy Tarpley and Antoine Joubert, Michigan was invited to play in the now-64-team NCAA Tournament. In 1985, the Wolverines received a 1-seed in the Southeast Region. After narrowly escaping 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, Michigan was upset by 8-seed Villanova, 59-55.
A year later, a very similar roster won the Big Ten title and was granted a 2-seed in the Midwest Region. The Wolverines took care of 15-seed Akron before again being upset by a lower-seeded team. This time it was 7-seed Iowa State that knocked off the Wolverines, 72-69.
Modern Era: 2012, 2014, 2021, 2026
Trey Burke’s 2012 Wolverines were the first Michigan team to win a Big Ten regular-season championship after the creation of the Big Ten Tournament (BTT). Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State all shared the crown in 2012, and the Wolverines earned the 2-seed in the BTT. Michigan knocked off 10-seed Minnesota before getting blown out by 3-seed Ohio State, 77-55. In the NCAA Tournament, Michigan was a 4-seed, but was shockingly upset by 13-seed Ohio in the first round.
Two years later, the Wolverines returned back to the top of the standings. Nik Stauskas’s Michigan team won the regular season title by a solid three games. As the 1-seed in the BTT, Michigan escaped a tricky Illinois team in the quarterfinals and knocked off 5-seed Ohio State in the semifinals before falling to 3-seed Michigan State in the Tournament Championship. The Wolverines would go on to be a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament and would advance all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to 8-seed Kentucky.
Hunter Dickinson’s 2021 Wolverines won the Big Ten during the season immediately post-COVID. As the 1-seed in the BTT, the Wolverines handled 8-seed Maryland before surprisingly getting tripped up by 5-seed Ohio State in the semifinals. Unfortunately, an injury to Isaiah Livers would drastically alter the postseason. Michigan was a 1-seed and advanced through 16-seed Texas Southern, 8-seed LSU and 4-seed Florida State before losing an ugly contest with 11-seed UCLA in the Elite Eight.
When you put it all together, there are some fascinating takeaways. The first is that Michigan has never won both a regular-season title and a BTT title in the same season. Michigan’s rivals have had a way of knocking off the Wolverines, even when Michigan is the higher seed. Secondly, the Elite Eight seems to be a very consistent floor for Michigan teams of this caliber. A vast majority of championship caliber teams make it to at least the Elite Eight. However, getting past that hurdle has been far and few between.
The 2025-26 Wolverines have a chance to make history if they can win the BTT and, more importantly, the NCAA Tournament. Everything is still on the table in front of them.
