Rumeal Robinson made two foul shots with three seconds left in overtime as Michigan - under interim coach Steve Fisher - knocked off Seton Hall 80-79 for the Wolverines' first crown in school history. Glen Rice captured Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the final.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the fourth consecutive year. But it did not included the defending champion for the first time since 1980 as Kansas was placed on probation and barred from the tourney for violations committed by former coach Larry Brown. The tournament ran from March 16 to April 3, 1989 with the Final Four being played in the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington.
Michigan Turmoil Before Tournament, Interim Fisher Put In Charge
Michigan went through turmoil just before the tournament was to start as coach Bill Frieder announced he would be taking over the head coaching position at Arizona State University after the season. Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler sacked Frieder and installed top assistant Steve Fisher as interim coach.
Michigan No. 3 Seed In Southeast
Fisher would be taking over a talented but underachieving Michigan squad, which was seeded third in the Southeast behind Oklahoma and North Carolina. With the likes of Glen Rice, Rumeal Robinson, Loy Vaught and Terry Mills, Michigan got past Xavier 92-87 in the first round and then knocked off South Alabama 91-82 in the second round. Fisher's men beat North Carolina 92-87 in the Sweet Sixteen and then cruised to victory in the Elite Eight, winning 102-65 over Virginia, which defeated top-seeded Oklahoma.
Princeton Nearly Came Up With Absolute Shocker
Princeton nearly pulled off the greatest upset in NCAA tournament history as a No. 16 seed close to beating No. 1 seed Georgetown. Hoya freshman Alonzo Mourning blocked a couple of shots and hit a late free throw in collecting 21 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks as Georgetown survived the back-cutting Princeton offense 50-49. No. 16 seed East Tennessee State came within a point of beating No. 1 seed Oklahoma, losing 72-71.
Bad Tournament For High Seeds
The 1989 edition proved difficult for the higher seeds as No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Florida State and all four No. 6 seeds were beaten in the first round.
Illinois Only No. 1 Seed In Final Four
Illinois was the only No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four, breaking an eight-year stretch of two No. 1s making the final weekend. Joining them and fellow Big Ten representatives Michigan were No. 2 Duke, which knocked off Georgetown in the East final; and No. 3 Seton Hall from the West in its first Final Four.
Late Put-Back Lifts Michigan, Seton Hall Thrash Duke
In the all-Big Ten national semifinal, Michigan squeaked past Illinois 83-81 on a put-back by Sean Higgins with one second left. The Wolverines had been clobbered just a couple weeks earlier 89-73 in Ann Arbor. In the other semi, Seton Hall trailed Duke 26-8 after 12 minutes but went on to score 87 points over the final 28 minutes in blowing out Duke 95-78.
Overtime For Final
For the first time in 26 years, the NCAA final would be decided in overtime. Rumeal Robinson knocked down two free throws with three seconds left to give Michigan the 80-79 victory. Rice scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in breaking Bill Bradley's record for most points in a tournament with 184 points in six games to Bradley's 177 in five games in 1965. John Morton scored 35 points in a losing effort for Seton Hall.
