1960–61 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record6–18 (2–12 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
MVPJohn Tidwell
CaptainJohn Tidwell
Home arenaFielding H. Yost Field House
1960–61 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Ohio State14–0 1.00027–1  .964
No. 8 Iowa10–4 .71418–6  .750
Purdue10–4 .71416–7  .696
Indiana8–6 .57115–9  .625
Minnesota8–6 .57110–13  .435
Northwestern6–8 .42910–12  .455
Illinois5–9 .3579–15  .375
Wisconsin4–10 .2867–17  .292
Michigan State3–11 .2147–17  .292
Michigan2–12 .1436–18  .250
Rankings from https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-ten/1961.html

The 1960–61 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1960–61 season. The team played its home games at Fielding H. Yost Field House (renamed Yost Ice Arena in 1973) on the school's campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Season overview

Under the direction of first-year head coach Dave Strack, the team compiled 6–18 record (2–12 in conference games), finished tenth in the Big Ten Conference and failed to get an invitation to either the 1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament or the 1961 National Invitation Tournament.[1] Over the course of the season, the team lost to both ranked opponents that it faced.[1] Although it had a 6–6 record at home, it lost all 12 of its road games.[1]

After two road losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee to open the season, Michigan returned to Yost Field House and won its home opener over Pittsburgh, 86–70, on December 6, 1960. Team captain and senior, John Tidwell led Michigan's scoring with 38 points.[2]

On February 2, 1961, Michigan tallied its highest point total of the year and easily defeated Western Ontario, 88–58, in a non-conference home game. All 13 Michigan players saw action against Western Ontario, a team that was "rated as Canada's best."[3] Tidwell led the team in scoring with 28 points, and Tom Cole led the way on the boards with 13 rebounds.[3] The team set a Michigan single-game record with 72 rebounds against Western Ontario, but the record would be broken exactly two years later when the current record of 77 was set.[4]

Two days after its victory over the Canadians, Michigan suffered its worst loss of the season, losing at home to an undefeated and No. 1 ranked Ohio State team by a score of 80–58. The game was played in front of a crowd of 6,000 fans and a regional television audience. The Associated Press wrote, "The fabulous Buckeys, now 16–0 for the season and 6–0 in the Big Ten, dispatched the conference cellar dwellers with an adding machine offense."[5]

Michigan's second worst loss of the season came on the road against Purdue, 96–79, on February 6, 1961. Four Michigan players fouled out of the game, as the Wolverines were called for 58 personal fouls. Purdue converted 40 of 48 free throw attempts. Michigan's leading scorer, Tidwell, was among the four Wolverines to foul out, and he finished the game with only one point.[6]

On February 13, 1961, Michigan won its first Big Ten Conference game, defeating Michigan State 78–67 in front of a season-high crowd of 6,500 at Yost Field House. In the battle of in-state rivals, the Wolverines' center, Scott Maentz of East Grand Rapids, was the only Michigan-born player to start for either team. Michigan's Tom Cole was the high scorer with 29 points. Maentz, who also played end for the Michigan football team, scored 19 points and pulled in 18 rebounds.[7]

On March 4, 1961, Tidwell established a Big Ten Conference single-game record by making 20 field goals in a 73–70 loss against Minnesota.[8] Tidwell also broke his own Michigan single-game scoring record with 43 points in the loss to Minnesota.[9] Tidwell's Big Ten record of 20 field goals stood until February 16, 1963, when Jimmy Rayl posted 23 for Indiana.[8]

On March 6, 1961, in the final home game of the season, Michigan won only its second conference game, defeating Illinois, 74–66. Scott Maentz led a second-half rally that put the Wolverines on top. After a slow start with two points in the first half, Maentz scored 16 points in the second half before fouling out with six minutes left in the game. Tidwell, playing in his final home game in front of a crowd of 3,000, led Michigan's scorers with 24 points. Tidwell set nearly every Michigan scoring record, and when he was pulled from the game, he was "given a three-minute, standing ovation for his effort."[10]

On March 11, 1961, Michigan closed its season with an 82–67 loss to Indiana in Bloomington.[11] The season-ending loss to Indiana is notable in that the two teams set a National Collegiate Athletic Association single-game record that still stands as of 2010 with 152 total rebounds, 95 by Indiana and 57 for Michigansted 57 rebounds, while Indiana posted 95.[12] Indiana's Walt Bellamy led the effort with 33 rebounds to break his own Indiana record.[13]

At the conclusion of the season, the members of the team chose Tidwell as the team's Most Valuable Player. Tidwell scored 441 points for a 19.2 point average during his senior year.[9] Tidwell became the first Wolverine to end his career with a 20-point per game scoring average, and his career point total (1,386) eclipsed the school scoring record set by Ron Kramer in 1957 (1,119). Bill Buntin broke Tidwell's scoring record in 1965 with 1,725 points and a 21.8 point per game average.[14]

Schedule

OpponentDateLocationW/LAttendance
VanderbiltDecember 2, 1960Knoxville, TennesseeL-43-584,500
TennesseeDecember 3, 1960Knoxville, TennesseeL-64-75-
PittsburghDecember 6, 1960Yost Field HouseW-86-702,000
ButlerDecember 8, 1960Yost Field HouseL-58-682,000
DrakeDecember 10, 1960Des Moines, IowaL-72-83-
IdahoDecember 14, 1960Yost Field HouseW-68-571,500
Wichita StateDecember 19, 1960Wichita, KansasL-76-943,320
DenverDecember 21, 1960University of Denver FieldhouseL-59-68547
BrownDecember 28, 1960Yost Field HouseW-74-561,800
IndianaJanuary 7, 1961Yost Field HouseL-70-813,800
IllinoisJanuary 14, 1961George Huff Gymnasium, Champaign, IllinoisL-64-886,705
Michigan StateJanuary 16, 1961East Lansing, MichiganL-69-818,015
Western OntarioFebruary 2, 1961Yost Field HouseW-88-58800
Ohio StateFebruary 4, 1961Yost Field HouseL-58-806,000
PurdueFebruary 6, 1961Lafayette, IndianaL-79-968,500
MinnesotaFebruary 11, 1961Williams Arena, Minneapolis, MinnesotaL-53-707,863
Michigan StateFebruary 13, 1961Yost Field HouseW-78-675,500
PurdueFebruary 18, 1961Yost Field HouseL-64-654,500
IowaFebruary 20, 1961Yost Field HouseL-46-504,000
NorthwesternFebruary 25, 1961Evanston, IllinoisL-56-663,500
WisconsinFebruary 27, 1961UW Field HouseL-68-764,476
MinnesotaMarch 4, 1961Yost Field HouseL-70-733,000
IllinoisMarch 6, 1961Yost Field HouseW-74-663,000
IndianaMarch 11, 1961Gladstein Fieldhouse, Bloomington, IndianaL-67-823,862

Player statistics

The following player statistics are taken from the University of Michigan's Men's Basketball Statistic Archive Query Page.[15]

NameGPGSFGFTFTAFT%PointsAvg
John Tidwell2320182771580.48744119.2
Tom Cole2320107771330.57929112.7
Scott Maentz23158221400.5251858.0
Don Petroff1596528420.66715810.5
Jon Hall22175443730.5891516.9
Steve Schoenherr2084412180.6671005.0
Charles Higgs21113326450.578924.4
Robert Brown23132821600.350773.4
Richard Donley1531623350.657553.7
Tom Eveland13198150.533262.0
Syl Jankowski210221.00021.0
George Ginger20100.00021.0

Team players drafted into the NBA

One player from this team were selected in the NBA draft.[16]

YearRoundPickOverallPlayerNBA Club
19614638John TidwellPhiladelphia Warriors

References

  1. 1 2 3 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 195.
  2. ↑ "Two Big Ten Teams Win". Hamilton, Ohio, Journal – The Daily News. December 7, 1960.
  3. 1 2 "Michigan Drubs Canadian Quint". IRONWOOD DAILY GLOBE. February 3, 1961.
  4. ↑ 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 166.
  5. ↑ "Ohio State Beats Michigan Cagers 80–58". THE SUNDAY NEWS AND TRIBUNE, JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI (AP story). February 5, 1961.
  6. ↑ "Boilermakers Rock U. M.". The Herald Press of St. Joseph, Michigan. February 7, 1961.
  7. ↑ "Wolverines Tip Spartans 78–67". Ironwood Daily Globe (AP story). February 14, 1961.
  8. 1 2 "Big Ten Basketball 2009–10 Media Guide". CBS Interactive. p. 26. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "Honors For Herrin Star: Tidwell Owns All Michigan Records: Michigan's 73–70 defeat of Minnesota". THE REGISTER NEWS, MT. VERNON, ILLINOIS. March 16, 1961.
  10. ↑ "Michigan Upsets Illinois, 74 to 66: John Tidwell Sparkles In Farewell at Home". THE TERRE HAUTE STAR (AP story). March 7, 1961.
  11. ↑ "Indiana Stops Michigan In Final Big Ten Game". THE HOLLAND, MICHIGAN, EVENING SENTINEL (UPI story). March 13, 1961.
  12. ↑ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 14. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  13. ↑ "III Triumphs; Takes Fourth In Big 10". KOKOMO (Ind.) TRIBUNE (AP story). March 12, 1961.
  14. ↑ 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 162.
  15. ↑ "Michigan Men's Basketball Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  16. ↑ "1961 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
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