Michigan Final Four history: Wolverines one step closer to winning first championship since 1989

It was clear from the first few weeks of the season that this Michigan team was different. With two more wins, the Wolverines will prove it.

Final Fours haven't been totally uncommon for Michigan in the 21st century, with a pair of appearances under John Beilein and a handful of other close calls along the way. Winning two more times has been the difficult part, but the Wolverines have a prime opportunity to prove the past doesn't matter.

From the "Fab Five" to Trey Burke, Michigan has been on college basketball's biggest stage before.

Here's a look at Michigan's complete Final Four history.

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How many times has Michigan been to the Final Four?

Michigan has now made nine Final Four appearances in its history. The Wolverines are headed back to the Final Four for the first time since 2018, when they reached the national championship game but lost to Villanova. 

Michigan has reached the Final Four in six of the last seven decades, making appearances in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s and now 2020s. Still it's been 37 years since the Wolverines last won a national championship.

Michigan Final Four history

1965

Led by All-Americans Cazzie Russell and Bill Buntin, Michigan scored 93 points in a semifinal blowout of Princeton in the national semifinal but couldn't contain John Wooden's UCLA team, falling 91-80 in the championship game. It was the second of nine titles in a span of 10 years for the Bruins. 

1976

1976 was a great year for Michigan, which narrowly won its first two NCAA Tournament games before making a run all the way to the national championship game, but that season will forever be known as Indiana's. The Hoosiers finished off an undefeated season with a blowout victory over the Wolverines in the title game.

1989

Head coach Steve Fisher only took over Michigan at the start of the NCAA Tournament, but the surprise coaching change proved to be exactly what the Wolverines needed. Michigan rattled off six consecutive wins, with the Glen Rice-led team blowing the doors off of Virginia in the Elite Eight but only narrowly getting by Illinois and Seton Hall to capture the program's only national championship.

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1992

The "Fab Five" beat Ohio State and Cincinnati to reach the national championship game, but Jalen Rose, Chris Webber and Juwan Howard were no match for Duke, scoring only 51 points in a blowout national championship game loss.

MORE: What to know about the 'Fab Five'?

1993

Michigan's iconic core got a chance at a redo in 1993 but came up short once again, falling 77-71 to North Carolina in the national championship game after taking down Rick Pitino and Kentucky in the national semifinal.

2013

Trey Burke was the hero all March long for No. 4 Michigan in 2013, single-handedly beating No. 1 Kansas in the Sweet 16 and powering the Wolverines to the Final Four. After taking care of business against Syracuse in the national semifinal, Louisville saw its title hopes slip away late against Pitino and Louisville in the championship game.

2018

A miraculous shot from Jordan Poole revitalized Michigan, sparking a run to the Final Four, and the Wolverines earned another shot at a national championship after a second-half comeback against Loyola Chicago in the national semifinal. No one was better than Villanova, however, as Michigan found itself in a major hole early in the title game and could not recover.

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Last time Michigan was in Final Four

Michigan's last Final Four appearance came in 2018, when the Wolverines were coached by John Beilein and led on the court by Moritz Wagner, Charles Matthews and Duncan Robinson.

A No. 3 seed, Michigan narrowly avoided elimination against No. 6 Houston in the second round on a Jordan Poole buzzer-beater and rolled past Texas A&M and Florida State to reach the Final Four. After a second half comeback to beat Cinderella story Loyola Chicago in San Antonio, Michigan proved to be no match for Villanova in the national championship game, falling 79-62.

Michigan 2018 roster

Here's a look at the key players from Michigan's 2018 Final Four team: