Glen Rice

Glen Rice set an NCAA Tournament record with 184 points en route to leading Michigan to the 1989 national championship.

Glen Anthony Rice was born in Flint, Michigan in 1967. He attended the University of Michigan under coach Bill Frieder and then Steve Fisher, who replaced Frieder just days before the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Rice led Michigan to the national championship — defeating Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime in the title game. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 184 tournament points — the most in a single tournament in history at that time, a record that stood for years. He averaged 26.3 points per game across six tournament games. His 1988-89 season produced 25.6 points per game — the highest single-season average in Michigan history. He was a consensus All-American. Los Angeles Clippers selected him fourth overall in the 1989 NBA Draft. His Michigan career culminated in that 1989 tournament run — the most individually dominant single-tournament scoring performance college basketball had seen. The championship win under interim coach Steve Fisher (Frieder had been fired just days before the tournament began) is one of college basketball's most improbable stories, and Rice was its defining performer.

Rice was known for his exceptional shooting ability, particularly from three-point range, and his smooth offensive technique. He possessed excellent court vision and could score from virtually anywhere on the court with his pure shooting stroke. His ability to create his own shot and perform in clutch situations made him a dangerous offensive weapon.

Rice helped popularize the three-point shot in college basketball and demonstrated how a prolific outside shooter could dominate at the highest level. His 1989 NCAA Tournament performance remains one of the greatest individual scoring displays in March Madness history.

• NCAA champion 1989
• NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player 1989
• Consensus first-team All-American 1989
• Big Ten Player of the Year 1989