10 Greatest Players in Michigan Basketball History (Top 5)
5. Rudy Tomjanovic
Most recently known for his Hall of Fame coaching career, many forget that Rudy T was a scoring machine during his college years at Michigan. In his 3 seasons at Michigan, he earned All-Big Ten honors twice and was the 2nd overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. To this day, Tomjanovic still holds 2 of the top 3 scoring seasons in Michigan basketball history, averaging 25.7 ppg in 1968-69 and 30.1 ppg in 1969-70.
4. Cazzie Russell
Crisler Arena, the home of Michigan Basketball, is often referred to as the “house that Cazzie built.” Impressively, he was a 3-time consensus All-American capped off with an AP Player of the year honor in 1965-66. Nobody has averaged more points per game in a Michigan uniform for a season (30.8) or a career (27.1) than Cazzie Russell.
3. Chris Webber
C-Webb helped change the landscape of college basketball as the highest-rated prospect of the legendary Fab Five team. He may have landed at number 1 on this list if the Fab Five wouldn’t have fallen short in both of their National Championship appearances. After only playing 2 seasons at Michigan, he collected 2 NCAA All-Tournament Team honors and was a consensus All-American in his sophomore season. He would go on to be drafted number 1 overall in the 1993 NBA draft.
2. Trey Burke
Trey Burke may have the single most memorable tournament moment in Michigan history. In the 2013 Elite Eight, he capped off an epic comeback against top-seeded Kansas with an unforgettable contested long-range three. The Wolverines would win in overtime and advance to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years. Burke finished the season with a plethora of accolades, including Big Ten Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Wooden Award winner, and Naismith Award winner.
1. Glen Rice
Glen Rice set himself apart from the other guys on this list in one major way…He led his team to the promised land. In 1989 he led the Wolverines to their one and only national championship. He still holds the record for the most points scored in a single March Madness(184). He averaged a staggering 22.1 and 25.6 points per game in his junior and senior seasons at Michigan. His 2-time all Big 10 selections, along with being named a consensus All-American, Big 10 Player of the Year, and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player make him the “GOAT” of Michigan Basketball.
