Michigan Basketball: Ranking the Wolverines top 5 Final Four teams

1965 team was stopped only by a dynasty

If you look at what the 1964-65 Michigan basketball team did, it’s extremely impressive. The Wolverines finished with a 24-4 record coached by Dave Strack. Not only did the team post a 13-1 record and win the Big Ten championship, but it was ranked No. 1 for ten weeks after a 5-0 record in the regular season against top-10 teams.

Michigan beat fifth-ranked Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament, before losing to John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in the championship game 91-80 in a battle of No. 1 vs No. 2.

The Bruins had Gail Goodrich, who averaged 24.7 points per game, while the Wolverines were led by Cazzie Russell, who scored 25.7 points a game and grabbed 7.9 rebounds. Bill Buntin (20.7 ppg, 11.5 rebounds) also averaged a double-double.

That was the second-consecutive championship for UCLA, which went on to win 10 in 12 years, including seven in a row under Wooden.