1943–44 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
| 1943–44 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| 1943–44 record | 8–10 (5–7 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | Bennie Oosterbaan |
| Assistant coach | William C. Barclay |
| MVP | Thomas King |
| Captain | Ralph Gilbert Dave Strack (acting) |
| Home arena | Yost Field House |
| 1943–44 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | 14 | – | 7 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | 12 | – | 9 | .571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | 12 | – | 7 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | 11 | – | 10 | .524 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 2 | – | 10 | .167 | 7 | – | 14 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 10 | .167 | 7 | – | 15 | .318 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago | 0 | – | 8 | .000 | 1 | – | 19 | .050 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1943–44 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate basketball during the 1943–44 season. In their sixth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, the Wolverines finished the season in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference with an overall record of 12–7 and 5–7 against conference opponents.
After team captain Ralph Gilbert was inducted into the military, junior guard/forward Dave Strack from Indianapolis was the team's acting captain and led the team in scoring with 194 points. Sophomore forward Thomas "Little Tommy" King scored 172 points and was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player. Center Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch was the team's third highest scorer and became the first University of Michigan athlete to receive varsity letters in four sports (football, basketball, track and field and baseball) during the same academic year.
In March 1943, at the conclusion of the 1942–43 season, Ralph Gilbert of Flint, Michigan was elected to serve as the captain of the 1943–44 team. However, he was inducted into the military and did not play. Junior forward Dave Strack from Indianapolis served as "acting captain" in place of Gilbert.
The 1943–44 team finished the season in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference with an overall record of 12–7 and 5–7 against conference opponents.Bennie Oosterbaan was in his sixth year as the team's head coach.
Dave Strack was the team's leading scorer with 194 points in 16 games for an average of 12.1 points per game. Strack later served as the head coach of the Michigan basketball team from 1960 to 1968, including three consecutive Big Ten championships from 1963 to 1966.
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