1973–74 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

The 1973–74 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1973–74 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.

1973–74 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
Big Ten regular season co-champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 6
Record	22–5 (12–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Johnny Orr
Assistant coaches	Jim Dutcher Bill Frieder Richard Carter (freshman)
MVP	Campy Russell
Captains	Campy Russell C. J. Kupec
Home arena	Crisler Arena
Seasons ← 1972–73 1974–75 →

1973–74 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 9 Indiana	12	–	2		.857			23	–	5		.821
No. 6 Michigan	12	–	2		.857			22	–	5		.815
No. 11 Purdue	10	–	4		.714			21	–	9		.700
Wisconsin	8	–	6		.571			16	–	8		.667
Michigan State	8	–	6		.571			13	–	11		.542
Minnesota	6	–	8		.429			12	–	12		.500
Iowa	5	–	9		.357			8	–	16		.333
Ohio State	4	–	10		.286			9	–	15		.375
Northwestern	3	–	11		.214			9	–	15		.375
Illinois	2	–	12		.143			5	–	18		.217
Rankings from AP Poll

Under the direction of head coach Johnny Orr, the team tied with the Indiana Hoosiers for the Big Ten championship.^[1][2] The team earned the first of four consecutive NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament invitations.^[2]

Campy Russell and C. J. Kupec served as team captains, with Russell earning team MVP honors.^[3] Russell, the Consensus second team All-American,^[4] earned the Big Ten scoring championship with a 24.0 average in conference games.^[5] He also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball as Big Ten Most Valuable Player.^[2] Orr was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.^[2]

Although the team began the season unranked, it was in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll for twelve of the eighteen weeks during the season, rising as high as number six, where it finished the season.^[6] The team ended the season ranked twelfth in the final UPI Coaches' Poll.^[7]

The team set a school record for single-game assists on February 23, 1974, against Purdue with 32. The record would stand until March 7, 1987.^[8][9]

In the 25-team 1974 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Michigan reached the elite eight in the Mideast region by earning a bye and defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 77–68. The team then fell to the Marquette Warriors 72–70.^[10][11]

Roster

1973–74 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown C 41 C. J. Kupec 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Oak Lawn, Illinois	Head coach Johnny Orr Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

Schedule

1973-74 Overall: 22-5 Big Ten: 12-2 (t-1st | Co-Champions)^[12] Postseason: NCAA (Mideast) (Elite Eight) Head Coach: Johnny Orr Staff: Jim Dutcher, Bill Frieder & Richard Carter (Freshmen) Captains: Campy Russell & C.J. Kupec Home Arena: Crisler Arena (13,609)

Date Rk Opponent H/A W/L Score +/-
12/1/1973 - Southern Illinois H W 86-74 +12
12/4/1973 - at Toledo A W 75-65 +10
12/8/1973 - at Detroit A L 59-70 -11
12/10/1973 - Xavier H W 77-61 +16
12/12/1973 - at Western Michigan (3OT) A W 83-76 +7
12/15/1973 - Dayton H W 76-54 +22
12/21/1973 - Yale H1 W 101-88 +13
12/22/1973 - Bowling Green H1 W 70-66 +4
12/28/1973 - San Francisco N2 W 88-66 +22
12/29/1973 - #1 UCLA A2 L 70-90 -20
1/4/1974 - #8 Indiana+ H W 73-71 +2
1/12/1974 #18 at Minnesota+ A W 66-65 +1
1/19/1974 #14 Michigan State+ H W 84-82 +2
1/21/1974 #14 at Purdue+ (OT) A L 84-85 -1
1/26/1974 #15 at Iowa+ (OT) A W 86-84 +2
1/28/1974 #15 #17 Wisconsin+ H W 83-75 +8
2/2/1974 #20 at llinois+ A W 101-77 +24
2/9/1974 #16 Ohio State+ H W 91-68 +23
2/11/1974 #16 Northwestern+ H W 50-48 +2
2/16/1974 #15 at #12 Indiana+ A L 81-93 -12
2/23/1974 #19 Purdue+ H W 111-84 +27
2/25/1974 #19 t Wisconsin+ A W 78-74 +4
3/2/1974 #17 Minnesota+ H W 79-56 +23
3/9/1974 #16 at Michigan State+ A W 103-87 +16
3/11/1974 #16 vs. #13 Indiana N3 W 75-67 +8
3/14/1974 #12 vs. #3 Notre Dame N4 W 77-68 +9
3/16/1974 #12 vs. #7 Marquette N4 L 70-72 -2

(1) Michigan Invitational, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena) (2) Los Angeles Classic, Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion) (3) Big Ten playoff, Champaign, Ill. (Assembly Hall) (4) NCAA Tournament, Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Memorial Coliseum)

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP Poll^[6]							18	14	15	20	16	15	19	17	16	12	7	6

Team players drafted into the NBA

Five players from this team were selected in the NBA draft.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Year	Round	Pick	Overall	Player	NBA Club
1974	1	8	8	Campy Russell	Cleveland Cavaliers
1975	4	2	56	C. J. Kupec	Los Angeles Lakers
1976	4	9	60	Wayman Britt	Los Angeles Lakers
1977	3	11	55	Steve Grote	Cleveland Cavaliers
1977	5	22	110	John Robinson	Los Angeles Lakers

See also

• 1974 in Michigan

References

1. . CBS Interactive. p. 54. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
2. 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 12.
3. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
4. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. pp. 4–7. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
5. . CBS Interactive. p. 33. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
6. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
7. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
8. 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 176.
9. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
10. "1974 Men's College Basketball Bracket". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
11. "1974 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket". databaseSports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
12. "University of Michigan Basketball: All-Time Records" (PDF). MoGoBlue.com. August 8, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
13. "1974 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
14. "1975 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
15. "1976 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
16. "1977 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.