1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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 Johnny Orr who was in his final year as coach, the team finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference.[1] The team earned an invitation to the 1980 National Invitation Tournament.[2] The team was unranked the entire season in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll,[3] and it also ended the season unranked in the final UPI Coaches' Poll.[4] The team defeated two of the six ranked teams it faced (#2 Ohio State 75–74 at home on January 19, 1980, and #15 Purdue at home 75–64 on February 21).[5] Marty Bodnar earned third team Academic All-American honors.[6] Bodnar and Mark Lozier served as team captains, while Mike McGee earned team MVP honors.[7] John Garris set the School record for career blocked shot average with 1.09, which lasted until 1986 when Roy Tarpley ended his career with a 2.06 average.[8] On January 26, 1980, McGee became the first Wolverine to play more than 50 minutes in a single game when he was on the floor for 54 minutes against the Northwestern Wildcats, surpassing Phil Hubbard's 1976 50-minute effort.[9] Mark Bodnar became the first Michigan Wolverines player on record to total 13 assists in a game on December 13, 1980, against the Dayton Flyers. No Wolverine would surpass 13 assists in a game until Gary Grant did so on December 7, 1987.[10] Thad Garner averaged of 36.3 minutes per game, which was a school record, beating Mike McGee who averaged 36.2. He would break his own record two years later.[11]

1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
Conference	Big Ten Conference
1979–80 record	17–13 (8–10 Big Ten)
Head coach	Johnny Orr
Assistant coaches	Bill Frieder Mike Boyd Tom Kempf Don Sicko
MVP	Mike McGee
Captains	Marty Bodnar Mark Lozier
Home arena	Crisler Arena

1979–80 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 7 Indiana	13	–	5		.722			21	–	8		.724
No. 10 Ohio State	12	–	6		.667			21	–	8		.724
No. 20 Purdue	11	–	7		.611			23	–	10		.697
Iowa	10	–	8		.556			23	–	10		.697
Minnesota	10	–	8		.556			21	–	11		.656
Illinois	8	–	10		.444			22	–	13		.629
Michigan	8	–	10		.444			17	–	13		.567
Wisconsin	7	–	11		.389			15	–	14		.517
Michigan State	6	–	12		.333			12	–	15		.444
Northwestern	5	–	13		.278			10	–	17		.370
Rankings from AP Poll)

In the 32-team National Invitation Tournament, Michigan advanced to the elite eight round by defeating Nebraska Cornhuskers 76–69 and UTEP Miners 75–65 before losing to Virginia Cavaliers 79–68.

Roster

1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 30 Mark Bodner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Barberton, Ohio G 24 Martin Bodner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Barberton, Ohio F 15 Paul Heuerman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Akron, Ohio G 34 Johnny Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Buffalo, New York F 40 Mike McGee 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Omaha, Nebraska	Head coach Johnny Orr Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Team players drafted into the NBA

Five players from this team were selected in the NBA Draft.[12][13][14]

Year	Round	Pick	Overall	Player	NBA Club
1981	1	19	19	Mike McGee	Los Angeles Lakers
1981	3	23	69	John Johnson	Boston Celtics
1981	5	20	112	Paul Heuerman	Phoenix Suns
1982	7	3	141	Thad Gardner	Utah Jazz
1983	10	7	213	Ike Person	Detroit Pistons

See also

• NIT all-time team records
• NIT bids by school and conference
• NIT championships and semifinal appearances
• 1980 in Michigan

References

1. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 198.
2. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 182.
3. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
4. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
5. "Through The Years". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 41. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
6. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. pp. 144–7.
7. "All-Time Accolades". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
8. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 179.
9. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 180.
10. "All-Time Records". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
11. "All-Time Records". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 20. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
12. "1981 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
13. "1982 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
14. "1983 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.