NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time

Michigan Basketball Mount Rushmore: Chris Webber, Glen Rice, Cazzie Russell, Trey Burke

Chris Webber

The only member of the Fab Five on Michigan’s Mount Rushmore, Chris Webber was an overwhelming force during his two-year tenure in Ann Arbor.

Webber averaged a double-double both seasons for the Michigan Wolverines, including 19.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in 1992-1993, while leading the Wolverines to back-to-back national title games. The No. 1 overall pick in 1993, was a five-time All-Star in the NBA and averaged over 20 points per game for his career.

Unfortunately, Webber’s collegiate career is best known for the time out he called against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 1993 National Championship game – a time out Michigan didn’t have, ultimately costing them a chance at the title.

Glen Rice

Glen Rice is one of the best scorers in Big Ten history. He averaged 25.6 points per game as a senior in 1989 and shot 51.6 percent from three that season, while leading the Wolverines to their only national championship. Though his collegiate career ended 30 years ago, Rice is still the program leader in points (both career and in a single season), fields goal made and 3-point percentage.

Following his time at Michigan, Rice was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and played 15 seasons in the league, being named an NBA All-Star three times and winning the NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.

Cazzie Russell

Cazzie Russell may not be a name known by the casual basketball fan, but there is no doubting how much he means to the Michigan program.

He led Michigan to its first two Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965, thanks to his scoring prowess and versatility. Russell averaged 27.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for his career and won National Player of the Year in 1966 after he averaged 30.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Russell went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 1966 NBA Draft and played over a decade in the pros, but his biggest contribution to the Wolverines was how he created more fan interest in the program with his on-court success. The Crisler Center was opened in 1967 and is known as “The House that Cazzie Built.”

Trey Burke

The 6-foot point guard started all but two games for the Wolverines during the two years he was there. He was the National Player of the Year and a consensus All-American as a sophomore during the 2012-13 season. Trey Burke averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists that season, while leading Michigan to the national title game, a run that was immortalized by this shot from Burke.

Burke has not been able to find similar success in the NBA despite being a top-10 pick in 2013, having played for four teams in six years and spent some time in the G-League.