It’s easy for fans at Crisler Center to let their gaze wander up to the rafters. After all, the retired numbers of Michigan basketball legends from Cazzie Russell to Glen Rice command appreciation. So do the surrounding maize and blue banners honoring the program’s Final Four berths and conference titles.
But only one national championship banner hangs in Crisler Center.
It took overtime, but the Wolverines lifted the trophy in 1989. To date, it’s the program’s lone national title. Michigan has since come close to returning to the top of college basketball, but the Wolverines have lost six of their seven championship game appearances.