1999–2000 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

The 1999–2000 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1999–2000 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Brian Ellerbe, the team finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten Conference.^[1] The team earned an eight seed but was defeated in the first round of the 2000 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament.^[2] The team earned an invitation to the 2000 National Invitation Tournament, where it was eliminated in the first round.^[3] The team was unranked for all eighteen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll,^[4] and it also ended the season unranked in the final USA Today/CNN Poll.^[5] The team posted a 1–7 record against ranked opponents. Its lone victory occurred on January 7, 2000, against Illinois by a 95–91 margin in overtime at Crisler Arena.^[6]

1999–2000 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
NIT, First Round
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	15–14 (6–10 Big Ten)
Head coach	Brian Ellerbe
Assistant coaches	Scott Trost Kurtis Townsend Lorenzo Neely
MVP	LaVell Blanchard
MVP	Kevin Gaines
Captains	Josh Asselin Darius Taylor Peter Vignier
Seasons ← 1998–99 2000–01 →

1999–2000 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Michigan State†	13	–	3		.813			32	–	7		.821
No. 25 Purdue	12	–	4		.750			24	–	10		.706
No. 21 Illinois	11	–	5		.688			22	–	10		.688
No. 22 Indiana	10	–	6		.625			20	–	9		.690
Wisconsin	8	–	8		.500			22	–	14		.611
Iowa	6	–	10		.375			14	–	16		.467
Michigan	6	–	10		.375			15	–	14		.517
Penn State	5	–	11		.313			19	–	16		.543
Minnesota	4	–	12		.250			12	–	16		.429
Northwestern	0	–	16		.000			5	–	25		.167
No. 8 Ohio State*	5	–	1		.833			11	–	3		.786
† 2000 Big Ten tournament winner Rankings from AP poll *Ohio State: 14 reg. season games; 2 NCAA Tourn. games vacated due to sanctions against the program Disputed record: Ohio State (23–7) (13–3)

Josh Asselin, Darius Taylor and Peter Vignier served as team captains, and LaVell Blanchard and Kevin Gaines shared team MVP honors.^[7] The team's leading scorers were LaVell Blanchard (404 points), Kevin Gaines (339 points) and Jamal Crawford (283 points). The leading rebounders were Blanchard (224), John Asselin (155) and Pete Vignier (114).^[8]

The team twice surpassed the school single-game record total of 34 free throws made set on December 9, 1998, when they totaled 37 against Illinois on January 16, 2000, and then with 38 against Iowa on March 1, 2000. The single-game total of 38 continues to be the school record.^[9]

In the 2000 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament at the United Center from March 9–12, Michigan was seeded eighth. In the first round they lost to number 9 Penn State 76–66.^[10]

On March 15, 2000, Michigan lost to Notre Dame 75–65 at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana, in the first round of the 2000 National Invitation Tournament.^[3][6]

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
2000	1	8	Jamal Crawford	Cleveland Cavaliers

^[11]

See also

• Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
• 2000 National Invitation Tournament
• NIT all-time team records
• NIT bids by school and conference
• NIT championships and semifinal appearances

References

1. . CBS Interactive. p. 69. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
2. . CBS Interactive. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
3. . CBS Interactive. p. 68. Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
4. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
5. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 90. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
6. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 48. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
7. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
8. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
9. . MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 14. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
10. . CBS Interactive. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
11. "2000 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.