2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Within two minutes, Modrić had doubled Spurs' lead, scoring close in after Aaron Lennon's cross had beaten Ferdinand. After an uncharacteristically tame first half from United's perspective, they started the second better, with Carlos Tevez replacing Nani during the interval. United got a goal back twelve minutes after the restart, via a controversial penalty. Michael Carrick was fed through into the box, only to be brought down by Heurelho Gomes. Replays showed that Gomes actually touched the ball but despite the keeper's protests, referee Howard Webb pointed to the spot.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and dispatched the penalty down the centre of the goal. Ten minutes later, Wayne Rooney equalised in a less debatable fashion, hitting in a shot at Gomes' near post after Dimitar Berbatov and Rafael had combined well. Only one minute after equalising, United were ahead. Rooney created some space down the left wing and crossed the ball in to find Ronaldo's diving header.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
The comeback looked to be complete three minutes later when United went 4–2 up, with Rooney's shot only just crossing the line despite Jonathan Woodgate trying his best to keep it out with his torso. The Reds' onslaught had stunned Tottenham and to add insult to injury, ex-Spurs player Berbatov scored United's fifth eight minutes after Rooney's second. The Bulgarian's initial header was saved by Gomes but he followed it up and poked the ball in with his boot. A very important comeback, shadowing United's 5–3 turnaround against the same team in 2001, put them three points ahead of Liverpool with five games left.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Middlesbrough were up next for United, at the Riverside. A usually tricky game for the Reds ended with a comfortable 2–0 away win, thanks to goals either side of half-time. Ryan Giggs opened the scoring with his first goal since being named as PFA Player of the Year, and his 98th Premier League goal in total. Giggs received the ball from Nemanja Vidić, steadied himself, and slotted it past Brad Jones' left hand from the edge of the area with 25 minutes played.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
United created a handful of chances in the remainder of the first half but none worried Boro's Australian goalkeeper. Park Ji-sung doubled the Reds' lead though shortly after half-time. Giggs and Federico Macheda combined with a one-two before Wayne Rooney threaded a pass through the Boro defence to find Park superbly. Park then settled the game with a decisive strike low into the bottom corner.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
It was derby day next up for United as Manchester City made the short trip to Old Trafford. Again, Liverpool were top of the table on goal difference with United having two games in hand. The match was slow and had few shots on target from either side, although United ran out 2–0 winners, with both goals coming in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo got United's first with a deflected free kick after City's Stephen Ireland had fouled Dimitar Berbatov 25 yards out.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
On the stroke of half-time, Carlos Tevez got United's second, hitting the post on the way, after Berbatov had brilliantly controlled Darren Fletcher's long ball before setting-up Tevez just outside the box. This was Tevez's first league goal of the season at Old Trafford. The second half was fairly forgettable, with few points of note. Robinho blazed well wide from a good position for City, while Tevez hit the post from a matter of inches late on. The only other talking point was the angry reaction of Ronaldo to being substituted with over half an hour to play. The result left United needing just four points from their last three games to win a third consecutive title.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
United gained three of those points away to Wigan three days later, when Michael Carrick's left-footed shot found the back of the net in the eighty-sixth minute. Wigan had almost gone in front within 90 seconds of the start, when Antonio Valencia was clean through, but shot wide of the goal. United then missed two chances in a minute when both Carrick and Wayne Rooney could not get the ball on target. Hugo Rodallega opened the scoring for Wigan in the 28th minute when he hit a shot past Edwin van der Sar at the near post.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
By half time, United had not managed a single shot on target, despite heavily dominating the possession. Carlos Tevez was brought on for Anderson early in the second half and did not disappoint, scoring a goal with a back-heeled deflected shot from Michael Carrick just three minutes after coming on.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Not satisfied with a draw, United continued to press and Carrick's late shot through traffic put the Red Devils within one point of sealing the Premier League title, being now six points clear of second-placed Liverpool with two games to go, although the Merseysiders had a better goal difference and both teams now having the same number of matches left.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
On 16 May, United successfully defended their Premier League title for the second year running with a 0–0 draw at home to Arsenal. Arsenal took the game to United, although fighting only for pride as their league position was already secured, and if it were not for some good defending by United, they could have taken the lead. Wayne Rooney could have put United ahead, but his first-half header went wide of Łukasz Fabiański's post. The Reds had a well-worked Park Ji-sung goal disallowed for an incorrect offside later in the second half.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Park had slotted the ball into an empty net after playing a one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo, but Ronaldo was judged to have been ahead of the last defender when Park played the ball through. When the final whistle blew, the United players, manager and backroom staff celebrated jubilantly, having been crowned champions of England for the 18th time.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
United's final game of the Premier League, played on 24 May, was away to Hull. It did not matter if United lost, as they had already been crowned champions of England just less than a week earlier. Hull escaped relegation thanks to Newcastle's loss at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough's defeat to West Ham. Darron Gibson's 20-yard shot was enough to give United victory in a 1–0 win.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
Manchester United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage, and were paired with Southampton at the draw on 30 November 2008. The match was played at St Mary's Stadium on 4 January 2009. The draw for the Fourth Round was held immediately before the match, and United were given the prospect of a home draw against Tottenham Hotspur should they overcome Southampton. As it turned out, United ran out 3–0 winners, Danny Welbeck opening the scoring in the 20th minute of his FA Cup debut.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
Southampton then gave themselves little chance of getting back into the game when their 19-year-old striker Matthew Paterson was sent off eight minutes before half-time for a high challenge on Nemanja Vidić. Shortly after the interval, United were awarded a free kick, from which David McGoldrick was adjudged to have handled the ball in the wall. Match referee Mike Riley immediately awarded a penalty, which Nani converted to double United's lead. The Red Devils then continued to dominate the match, introducing Rodrigo Possebon, Darron Gibson and Wayne Rooney halfway through the half. The latter two then combined with nine minutes left, with Rooney cutting the ball back for Gibson to smash the ball into the back of the net.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The Fourth Round was played at Old Trafford on 24 January 2009. Due to United's defensive injury crisis, Alex Ferguson had to call young defenders Fábio, Richard Eckersley and James Chester into the first team squad for the match, with Fábio starting at left back. The ramshackle nature of the United defence showed as Tottenham took an early lead through a glancing header from Roman Pavlyuchenko.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
However, United soon took the initiative back as Carlos Tevez rattled the bar before forcing Spurs 'keeper Ben Alnwick into a reflex save, while Danny Welbeck was only denied by a last-ditch block from Chris Gunter after dancing past three defenders. The score was turned on its head shortly after the half-hour mark, when the home side hit a two-goal salvo in as many minutes.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
In the 35th minute, Michael Carrick pulled the ball back to Paul Scholes on the edge of the box from a corner, and the midfielder's shot was deflected off Tom Huddlestone past a flat-footed Ben Alnwick. Then, a minute later, Carrick was the provider for United's second goal as he played Berbatov through the middle and the Bulgarian fired past Alnwick from the edge of the area. Early in the second half, United lost Fábio to injury and he was replaced by fellow debutant Richard Eckersley. United continued to apply pressure to the Spurs defence, but there were no further goals and the Red Devils advanced to the Fifth Round of the competition.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The Fifth Round draw was held on 25 January 2009, and United were drawn against either Derby County or Nottingham Forest. The replay between Derby and Forest was played on 4 February, and ended with Derby winning 3–2 to set up a third cup clash between Derby and United in the space of two months. United dominated the match, which was played on 15 February, from the kick-off, as the Derby goal was peppered with shots from the outset.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
Their reward for their dominance came shortly before the half-hour; the ball was worked across the face of the penalty area to Nani, who cut back inside and curled a shot past Stephen Bywater for the opening goal. United doubled their lead shortly before half-time, when they were awarded a free kick within the shooting range of Cristiano Ronaldo; the United winger crashed the free kick into the defensive wall, and the ball ricocheted to Darron Gibson – who had broken from the wall – and the Irish international fired a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
The scoring continued after the break, Ronaldo heading home Ryan Giggs' right-sided corner kick three minutes into the second half. John O'Shea and Danny Welbeck were brought on for Patrice Evra and Park Ji-sung in the 55th minute. However, no sooner than the substitution had been made, Derby had pulled a goal back; Miles Addison headed home a Kris Commons cross after a quickly taken free kick by Robbie Savage. Despite a late resurgence from Derby, it was United who had the last word, as Danny Welbeck rounded off some neat interplay between Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher with a curling shot past Bywater to make the final score 4–1 to United.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
Immediately after the match against Derby, the Sixth Round draw handed United an away tie with Swansea City or Fulham. The replay between Swansea and Fulham was played on 24 February, with Fulham coming back from a goal down to win 2–1 and set United up with a trip to Craven Cottage on 7 March. United ran out comfortable 4–0 winners in the Six Round Proper at Fulham. Two first-half goals from Carlos Tevez followed by second-half goals from Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-sung ensured that United qualified for a record twenty-sixth FA Cup semi-final appearance. United drew Everton in the semi-finals to be played at Wembley Stadium on 19 April.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, FA Cup
United fell at the semi-final stage of the FA Cup for the first time under Alex Ferguson as they lost on penalties to Everton following a 0–0 draw. Ferguson came in for some criticism in the press following a team selection shorn of many first-team regulars – a situation he later blamed on the poor state of the Wembley pitch. After a fairly forgettable game, albeit one which United dominated without creating too many goalscoring opportunities, Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand both had their penalties saved by former United goalkeeper, Tim Howard. Despite a penalty miss from Tim Cahill, Everton ran out 4–2 winners on penalties and United's quest for five trophies was at an end.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The draw for the League Cup's Third Round paired Manchester United with Middlesbrough. The match was played at Old Trafford on 23 September 2008, and resulted in a 3–1 win for the home side, who gave debuts to three young players;Ben Amos, Danny Welbeck and Manucho. In his first start for the club since returning from injury, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 25th minute, heading home Ryan Giggs' corner.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
Adam Johnson equalised for Middlesbrough ten minutes into the second half, but in the 66th minute, Emanuel Pogatetz was sent off for a serious foul on Rodrigo Possebon, which left the Brazilian requiring lengthy treatment before being replaced by Darron Gibson. The disparity in the teams' numbers meant that another United goal was practically inevitable, and it came in the 79th minute via Ryan Giggs. The Welshman's goal lifted him into 10th in the club's all-time list of goalscorers. Because of Possebon's injury, a total of nine minutes of injury time were played, and, in the fifth of the nine, Nani added a third goal for United, securing their passage into the Fourth Round of the competition.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The Fourth Round draw paired United with Queens Park Rangers, with the match to be played at Old Trafford on 11 November 2008. Alex Ferguson rested many of his first choice players for the match, while Rodrigo Possebon also made his return to first team action following his injury in the previous round. United had the majority of the possession during the game, but misplaced passes from midfield let them down at the final hurdle on occasion. Park Ji-sung nearly scored the opening goal on the hour mark, but his 30-yard effort rattled the woodwork.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
It took until the 73rd minute for QPR to have their first attempt on goal, but it amounted to nothing and, minutes later, Danny Welbeck was brought down in the box by Peter Ramage. Carlos Tevez stepped up to take the penalty, sending goalkeeper Radek Černý the wrong way to open the scoring. QPR's Samuel Di Carmine had a goal correctly ruled out for offside in the closing stages and United managed to hang on and progress to the last eight of the competition.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The draw for the Fifth Round of the League Cup took place on 15 November 2008, and United were drawn at home to Blackburn Rovers, with the match to be played on 3 December 2008. As usual, Alex Ferguson rested many of his bigger names, opting for a mixture of youth and experience for the game. The match started on a fairly even keel, with Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock testing goalkeeper Ben Foster early on.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The match soon swung back the other way, but it took until the 35th minute for United to get on the scoresheet; Ryan Giggs sent over a cross, and Carlos Tevez beat Aaron Mokoena to the ball to head home. Tevez then linked up with Nani for the Portuguese winger to blast the ball past Paul Robinson for United's second in the 40th minute.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
Blackburn pulled a goal back shortly after half-time through Benni McCarthy, only for Tevez to double his personal tally from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by André Ooijer in the box in the 50th minute. Tevez's hat-trick came in the 54th minute, as he rounded off a brilliant team goal, orchestrated by Ryan Giggs and Anderson.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
Blackburn attempted to make a proper game of it as the match entered its final ten minutes, pulling two goals back through Matt Derbyshire and another one from Benni McCarthy, but a fourth goal for Tevez sealed a 5–3 win for United in the fourth minute of injury time, as he lashed the ball past Paul Robinson from the edge of the penalty area and sent the Red Devils into the League Cup semi-finals.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The semi-final draw, held on 6 December 2008, paired United with Championship side Derby County. As Derby were drawn out of the hat first, they were awarded the opportunity to play the first leg at their Pride Park home. The first leg was played on 7 January 2009, and Alex Ferguson continued his policy of selecting weakened sides in the League Cup, playing Tomasz Kuszczak in goal, Darron Gibson on the right of midfield and Danny Welbeck up front with Carlos Tevez, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were on the bench.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
Despite there being a gulf of 35 league places between the two sides at the start of play, it was Derby who looked more up for the game having two shots blocked at short range in the opening stages, before Kris Commons opened the scoring on the half-hour with a venomous strike from 25 yards. Unhappy at being a goal down, Ferguson turned to his big guns, Rooney and Ronaldo, just after the hour mark, and the latter hit a free kick just past the post in the closing stages. Rob Hulse almost doubled his team's lead shortly before the final whistle, but he could only turn the ball over the bar as it came to him off Kuszczak.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The second leg was played at Old Trafford two weeks after the first on 20 January 2009. Ferguson kept faith with much of the same team that had lost the first leg, with the exceptions of Ben Foster coming in for Kuszczak in goal, Gary Neville stepping in for Nemanja Vidić at centre back and Ryan Giggs in place of Paul Scholes in midfield. The first chance of the game fell to Derby's Kris Commons, who drove the ball just wide from long range, but it was Nani who opened the scoring for United.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
The Portuguese winger picked up the ball just inside the Derby half, pressed on towards the penalty area and hit a dipping effort past Roy Carroll into the far side of the goal. A second goal came six minutes later, John O'Shea slotting home after being given plenty of time by a poorly-executed offside trap. The score reached 3–0 just after the half-hour mark, as Carlos Tevez nodded home from close range after Derby's defence failed to deal with a cross from Rafael.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
United looked to have taken their foot off the gas after the half-time break, and rarely threatened the Derby goal. They used up the third of their substitutions midway through the half, so they were unable to replace Jonny Evans when he picked up an injury later on; that injury subsequently looked to be a contributory factor when Evans felled Paul Green in the penalty area, allowing Giles Barnes to pull a goal back for the Rams from the spot.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup
Substitute Cristiano Ronaldo restored the Red Devils' three-goal lead with a penalty of his own after Carroll had tripped Tevez in the final minute, but Barnes had the final say in the game, pulling off a spectacular free kick to make the final score 4–2 to United on the night, and 4–3 on aggregate. The result sent United through to the final, where they would meet Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on 1 March 2009, after the London side beat Burnley 6–4 on aggregate.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup, Final
The final was played at Wembley Stadium on 1 March. United continued with the policy of playing a mixture of younger, more inexperienced players in the League Cup with older, more experienced ones. Wayne Rooney, who had been expected to play, was not in the squad, having been sidelined by a virus and Dimitar Berbatov was not selected to play against his former team. Edwin van der Sar, who had not played any part in the run up to the Final, was again rested and Ben Foster was selected in goal, ahead of Tomasz Kuszczak.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup, Final
The game was played at a good tempo and both teams had several chances to score. United started better with both Darron Gibson and Rio Ferdinand going close to opening the scoring, before Spurs got back into the match, forcing Foster into the first real save of the game. Early in the second half, Danny Welbeck was replaced by Anderson and he helped United take control of the second half, Carlos Tevez just shooting wide after a mis-hit shot from Jonny Evans.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup, Final
However, Tottenham were not out of the game and Aaron Lennon brought another good save from Foster just a few minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo was harshly booked for diving in the penalty area. A shot, three minutes into stoppage time from Ronaldo then smashed off the inside of the post, but came out and the game ended 0–0.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup, Final
Extra time was a more quiet affair with few really good chances, although Darren Bent brought yet another good save from Foster and Patrice Evra shot narrowly over with a couple of minutes to go. However, extra time also ended 0–0 and the game went to penalties – for only the second time in League Cup Final history.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, League Cup, Final
United won the coin toss and selected the penalties to be taken at the end where their fans were situated, and also took the first penalty. Ryan Giggs scored the first – though only just – hitting in off the upright. Spurs' Jamie O'Hara saw his penalty saved by Foster. Carlos Tevez scored his penalty to give United a 2–0 lead, followed by a successful penalty from Vedran Ćorluka for Spurs. Cristiano Ronaldo then slotted his penalty home, past Heurelho Gomes before David Bentley sent his penalty wide of the goal. This left Anderson to score the winning penalty, which he duly did and United won their third League Cup Final. Ben Foster won the Man of the Match award – the first goalkeeper since Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek in 2003 to win the award.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
As the tournament's defending champions, Manchester United automatically qualified for the Champions League group stage as top seeds. This meant that they would avoid other heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Inter Milan in the group stage. The draw was held on 28 August 2008 and United were drawn with two familiar sides, Villarreal (whom they had drawn in 2005–06) and Celtic (2006–07), and a new face in Danish side Aalborg BK.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Manchester United began their defence of the Champions League title at home to Villarreal, who set out their stall in a defensive manner, managing to hold the European champions to a third consecutive goalless draw between the two teams. Both teams put out weakened lineups, but it was to United that the first chance of the game fell. Owen Hargreaves' corner eluded everyone in the box, including the goalkeeper, but Rio Ferdinand could only scuff the ball across goal as he stabbed at it with his right foot.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Carlos Tevez then had a 25-yard shot saved by Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López, while Park Ji-sung had two penalty claims turned down by German referee Wolfgang Stark. Twenty minutes into the second half, after Guillermo Franco had hit the inside of the post with a cheeky back-heel, Cristiano Ronaldo made his long-awaited return from injury to rapturous applause from the Old Trafford crowd. Ronaldo's arrival seemed to give the United team extra impetus, as within minutes he sent Wayne Rooney on a breakaway.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The England international squared the ball to Carlos Tevez, but the Argentine was quickly closed down by Diego López and the chance was missed. The last two decent chances of the game fell to United; first to Ronaldo, who headed just wide from Nani's left-wing cross, and then to Jonny Evans, who headed against the foot of the post after Ronaldo crossed in from the right.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United got their first win of the Champions League season on 30 September 2008, when they visited Aalborg BK. The Red Devils were soon on the attack and Dimitar Berbatov could have got his name on the scoresheet after just six minutes, but he missed the target after Cristiano Ronaldo had charged down goalkeeper Karim Zaza's clearance. Paul Scholes was injured in the 15th minute and was replaced by Ryan Giggs, who immediately played in Wayne Rooney for the first goal of the game.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The score remained at 1–0 until ten minutes after half-time, when Berbatov finally put the ball in the back of the net after pouncing on a mistake by Thomas Augustinussen. Tevez was brought on in the 59th minute after Rooney took a knock on his ankle, and introduced fresh attacking impetus to the United front line; he had a goal ruled out for unintentional use of the arm, before breaking into the box only for his square ball to Ronaldo to be wasted by the Portuguese international. Berbatov put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute when he acrobatically volleyed Ronaldo's right wing cross into the goal.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
A home win over fellow Britons Celtic followed on 21 October, all but securing United's progression to the knockout phase of the competition. Celtic were the first to threaten either goal, Aiden McGeady's 20-yard strike being stopped low by Edwin van der Sar after 11 minutes, but United went ahead on the half-hour via a contentious goal from Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian had appeared to be in an offside position when John O'Shea prodded Nani's corner through to him, but it was not spotted by either the referee or his assistant.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
There were similar complaints about Berbatov's second goal six minutes after half-time, but again they went unheeded. Berbatov had been standing in an offside position when Ronaldo struck a long-range free kick, and after Artur Boruc was only able to palm it into the middle of the goal area, United's £30 million man was on hand to put it into the back of the net. United themselves were the next to question the linesman's decision after a seemingly legitimate Rooney goal was ruled out for offside, but Rooney had the ball in the net in the 76th minute to make it 3–0.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The return game against Celtic was played two weeks later on 5 November. The opening exchanges were played at great pace, with Ryan Giggs partnering Carlos Tevez up front, but it was Celtic who got the first goal, as Scott McDonald lobbed Ben Foster (who was making his Champions League debut) from 14 yards. United continued to press at the Celtic back line, but a combination of misplaced final balls and staunch defending by the Scots kept the Reds (who were playing in blue) off the scoresheet.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney entered the game during the second half, but when United finally got their equaliser, it was neither the Bulgarian nor the Englishman who scored it. Cristiano Ronaldo hit a swerving shot from 25 yards, but it was too hot for goalkeeper Artur Boruc to handle and Ryan Giggs was on hand to head in from close range. Berbatov almost won the game for United in the final moments, but his shot on the turn went fractionally past the post and the match finished at 1–1. The result meant that United needed just a point from their final two matches to qualify for the knockout phase.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
This required point was gained with another goalless draw away to Villarreal. United were the first to settle, Anderson testing Diego López in the Villarreal goal early on, before Wayne Rooney had the ball in the net in the eighth minute, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. Shortly before half-time, an effort from Cristiano Ronaldo was tipped onto the crossbar by the fingertips of López, leaving the woodwork rattling.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
There were few chances in the second half, the major incident being the sending-off of Joan Capdevila for raising his studs when going into a challenge on Ronaldo. Nevertheless, a 0–0 draw – the fourth consecutive such result between these two teams – was enough to ensure that both qualified for the knockout phase. United remained top of the table on goal difference, needing only to better Villarreal's result on Matchday 6 to secure top spot in the group.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The final match in the group was played on 10 December 2008, with a depleted United side facing Aalborg at Old Trafford. Despite players being rested in preparation for the league game against Tottenham Hotspur the following Saturday, United wasted no time in getting on the scoresheet. After just two minutes, Giggs picked up the ball 25 yards from goal, before lobbing the ball over the defensive line with the outside of his left foot to find Carlos Tevez just onside.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
The Argentine then placed the ball past Aalborg's goalkeeper, Karim Zaza, with the outside of his right foot to score the quickest Champions League goal of the season to date. However, a few minutes later, Tevez missed a simpler chance to double both his and United's tally when he side-footed the ball the wrong side of the left-hand post. From that point on, it looked like United had dropped down a gear, a point that was emphasised when Aalborg not only equalised, but went ahead before half time.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
First, Michael Jakobsen beat Tomasz Kuszczak with a glancing header from Anders Due's 31st-minute free kick, and then Jeppe Curth directed a perfect header past the Polish goalkeeper, again from Due's delivery. Paul Scholes and Park Ji-sung replaced Ryan Giggs and Darron Gibson at half time, and United equalised seven minutes later, Wayne Rooney toe-poking the ball through Zaza's legs from just inside the penalty area. Rooney very nearly set up a goal for Gary Neville in the 69th minute, but his shot was blocked by Zaza, much to the United captain's disgust.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United continued to make chances, but they were unable to find the net. Nevertheless, in conjunction with Celtic's 2–0 win over Villarreal, the result meant that United finished on top of Group E, and also extended the club's unbeaten run in the Champions League to 19 games, equalling the previous record, set by Bayern Munich and Ajax.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The draw for the Champions League round of 16 was made in Nyon, Switzerland, on 19 December 2008. United, as group winners could have faced teams such as Real Madrid and Juventus, as both finished second in their respective groups, but were ultimately paired with Inter Milan, managed by former Chelsea manager José Mourinho.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The first leg of the tie was played on 24 February 2009, with the major talking point being the fitness of United defenders Jonny Evans and John O'Shea. The two were pronounced fit an hour before kick-off, but, despite defence being the hot topic before the game, it was the United attack that did most of the talking during the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo tested Inter goalkeeper Júlio César with a free kick before forcing the Brazilian into a save from a powerful header in the opening few minutes.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United continued to press throughout the half, and Ryan Giggs nearly opened the scoring midway through, but he could only hit the ball straight at Júlio César after a sublime turn away from Nelson Rivas. Inter themselves went close shortly before half-time, but Adriano was unable to beat Edwin van der Sar after being played in by Zlatan Ibrahimović.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Inter came out stronger in the second half, and looked much more of a threat through Esteban Cambiasso, but United continued to search for that elusive away goal to take back to Old Trafford, and almost got it through Park Ji-sung, whose outstretched legs just missed Ronaldo's low pass across the face of goal. Giggs then tricked his way through the Inter defence on the edge of the area, only to be denied by Iván Córdoba's lunging block, before Wayne Rooney – thrown on as an 83rd-minute substitute – was denied by the legs of Júlio César. Finally, in the dying seconds of the game, Ronaldo was felled by Córdoba on the edge of the area, well within his striking range; he stepped up to take the resulting free kick himself, but it was easily saved by Júlio César, and the match finished as a goalless draw.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The second leg was a tight affair at Old Trafford with United knowing conceding an away goal could prove costly and Inter knowing that a score-draw would be enough to send them through. Sir Alex Ferguson had won only 1 of the previous 13 meetings against sides managed by Inter manager, José Mourinho, a statistic that the media focused on heavily in the buildup to the game. However, United nerves were settled early as Nemanja Vidić headed in a Ryan Giggs corner after just four minutes.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
This led to a dominant period of play for United in terms of possession, although Inter had chances to score – Zlatan Ibrahimović heading against the crossbar and shooting wide from a tight angle. United also missed chances to go further ahead, John O'Shea shooting too close to Júlio César when put through. Nerves were playing a part as Inter grew into the game and it was the Italians who started strongly in the second half, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to head in from a Wayne Rooney centre, four minutes into the second half.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Inter had chances to score in the second half, Adriano missing an excellent chance as he shot against the inside of the upright, and Ibrahimović heading wide from close range. United also missed chances to score a third with Giggs and Berbatov both going close, but the scoring had come to an end and United ran out 2–0 winners on the night and on aggregate. The draw for the quarter- and semi-finals took place on 20 March 2009 and paired United with Porto in the quarter-final, with the home leg first. United were also put in the same side of the draw as Arsenal and Villarreal, meaning they will play either of the teams should they beat Porto.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Beating Porto began to look problematic from as early as the fourth minute of the first leg at Old Trafford when Cristian Rodríguez scored for the visitors. This game was played just two days after a dramatic late win for United over Aston Villa in the league, which may have contributed to a lethargic performance from the home team. An awful back pass fifteen minutes into the match gave Wayne Rooney the chance to equalise for United, which he duly did, but the poor performance from United continued, with Porto putting United under regular pressure.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Despite this, United created a number of chances throughout the game and finally took one on 85 minutes when a Rooney flick was buried by Carlos Tevez. This goal looked to have given United an important win but Mariano González scored in the 89th minute to give Porto two away goals and a 2–2 draw.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United started the game at the Estádio do Dragão in impressive fashion and scored an away goal of their own after just six minutes when a powerful strike from just short of 40 yards from Cristiano Ronaldo flew past goalkeeper Helton and into the top corner. United continued to press in the first 20 minutes and began to dominate the game, although Porto came back into the match as the first half progressed.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Cristian Săpunaru forced a good save from Edwin van der Sar and Bruno Alves headed wide from a free kick before Nemanja Vidić missed a glorious chance just before half time, managing to shoot over from four yards out following a corner. The second half began well for both sides, with Dimitar Berbatov shooting at the keeper for United, while Raul Meireles shot over and Hulk saw his free-kick saved by van der Sar.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Late on, Lisandro López saw his effort saved by Van der Sar and Ronaldo saw his low shot well saved by Helton, but there were to be no more goals for either side and United became the first English team to beat Porto in the Estádio do Dragão, winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate. Their semi-final against Arsenal meant that there was a guarantee of an English team in the Champions League Final for the fifth straight year.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Manchester United's semi-final first leg was at home to Arsenal. United started well, with Wayne Rooney forcing Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia into a save within the first two minutes. Further chances for Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez followed, before John O'Shea scored after 17 minutes after a corner. United continued to dominate the first half-hour with Almunia again saving Arsenal from going further behind – the best chance being a close-range header from Ronaldo. United's performance in the second half was not as good. Arsenal passed the ball around well, keeping possession but failing to seriously penetrate United's defence.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United hit on the break a number of times, Ronaldo hitting a shot from over 30 yards that cannoned off the crossbar, and substitute Ryan Giggs, making his 800th appearance for United (and his first since becoming PFA Player of the Year) had a goal ruled out for offside. The second goal never came and Arsenal had the last real chance, a header over the crossbar from Nicklas Bendtner. United held on to win 1–0, with the second leg at the Emirates Stadium six days later.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
United were 3–0 up on aggregate after just 11 minutes at the Emirates, meaning that Arsenal needed four goals to make the final. It was the Gunners who started better and dominated the early possession, but with United's first attack, Cristiano Ronaldo put in a deep cross. Defender Kieran Gibbs slipped at the vital moment and Park Ji-sung slotted the ball into the net after just eight minutes. Three minutes later, a 40-yard free kick from Ronaldo beat Manuel Almunia to give United a 2–0 lead on the night.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Needing a four-goal swing, Arsenal dominated possession but were unable to break United down. Just after the hour mark, a breakaway from United saw Ronaldo score his second and United's third less than 15 seconds after Arsenal had taken a corner at the other end. With 15 minutes to go, Darren Fletcher was sent-off by referee Roberto Rosetti for bringing down Cesc Fàbregas in the penalty area, despite replays showing that Fletcher made contact with the ball first. This red card meant that he would miss the final if United advanced.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
The resulting penalty was slotted home by Robin van Persie, but Arsenal – needing four more goals to make the final – could not find momentum from the goal and the match ended 3–1, with a 4–1 aggregate win for United, who became the first team since Juventus in 1997 to reach the Champions League final the season after winning the tournament, and the first team to reach consecutive finals since Valencia in 2001.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
On 27 May, United lost to Barcelona 2–0 in the final following goals from Samuel Eto'o after 10 minutes (the Catalans' first attempt on goal) and Lionel Messi 20 minutes from time. United performed poorly throughout, with the exception of the first ten minutes and Sir Alex Ferguson admitted after the game that Barcelona had been the better side in the final.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
As winners of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, Manchester United earned the right to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, alongside the champions from each of FIFA's five other continental confederations. The way the competition is organised meant that United were entered at the semi-final stage, where they would play either Japan's Gamba Osaka or the winner of a play-off between Adelaide United of Australia and Waitakere United of New Zealand. Adelaide United beat Waitakere United in the play-off, but lost to Gamba Osaka in the quarter-finals, meaning that Manchester United would face Gamba Osaka at the International Stadium of Yokohama on 18 December 2008.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov was ruled out of the semi-final match with a viral infection the day before the game, but Sir Alex Ferguson was able to name his veteran trio of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville in the starting XI. The match started fairly evenly; although United had most of the ball, Gamba Osaka were able to counter-attack quickly. The first goal did end up going United's way, however, as Giggs picked out Nemanja Vidić from a corner kick for the Serbian to head into the back of the net.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
United then went 2–0 up on the stroke of half-time, Giggs delivering another right-sided corner, this time for Cristiano Ronaldo to nod in. Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney were introduced in place of Paul Scholes and Carlos Tevez halfway through the second half. However, Gamba pulled a goal back almost immediately in the 74th minute, only for Rooney to restore United's two-goal lead a minute later. Fletcher then made it 4–1 in the 78th, before Rooney doubled his personal tally in the 79th.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
Five minutes from full-time, though, Gary Neville handled the ball inside the box and the referee awarded Gamba a penalty kick, which Yasuhito Endō converted. Finally, in the first minute of injury time at the end of the game, Hideo Hashimoto scored another consolation goal to make the score 5–3. The result meant that United were through to the final of the competition, in which they would face LDU Quito of Ecuador on 21 December 2008.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
Like the semi-final, the final was played at the International Stadium in Yokohama. Dimitar Berbatov was unable to fully recover from his virus, but was named on the bench for United, while Wayne Rooney was rewarded for his semi-final brace with a place in the starting line-up, meaning that the trio of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez all started the match. Meanwhile, captain Gary Neville was left out in place of Rafael, meaning that Rio Ferdinand captained the side.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
The match started very much in United's favour, but they were unable to convert their dominance into goals, LDU goalkeeper José Francisco Cevallos keeping the Reds' strikers at bay. Shortly after the break, Vidić was involved in an altercation with LDU midfielder Claudio Bieler; Bieler first committed a foul on Vidić, but while the two were grounded, Vidić lashed out at Bieler with an elbow. The Argentine rolled across the turf clutching his face, to which the Uzbek referee, Ravshan Irmatov, responded with a straight red card.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Club World Cup
In order to restore numbers in defence, Alex Ferguson withdrew Carlos Tevez and introduced Jonny Evans. The numerical advantage gave LDU extra confidence, and they looked like they might be the ones to open the scoring. However, with 17 minutes to go, Cristiano Ronaldo picked the ball up on the edge of the penalty area and laid it off to Wayne Rooney on the left side of the box, who then placed the ball past Cevallos into the far corner of the net. LDU came close to an equaliser in the final minute, Damián Manso hitting a long-range shot that forced Edwin van der Sar into a save at full-stretch. Despite LDU's late rally, United held on for a 1–0 win and their first Club World Cup title.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's first departure of the 2008–09 season was Chris Eagles, who signed for Burnley for an undisclosed fee on 29 July. On 20 August, Mikaël Silvestre departed for Arsenal (also for an undisclosed fee). Eight days later, United released Dong Fangzhuo, and on the same day that Dong departed (28 August), Louis Saha signed for Everton for an undisclosed fee.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's three summer arrivals were Brazilian twins Rafael and Fábio, who joined from Brazilian club Fluminense for an undisclosed fee, and striker Dimitar Berbatov, who became the first Bulgarian to sign for Manchester United when he arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the summer transfer window.


2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's other two arrivals came during the winter transfer window. Zoran Tošić and Ritchie De Laet arrived respectively from Partizan and Stoke City in early January. United also struck a deal to sign Adem Ljajić from Partizan, with the youngster due to join in January 2010, but the transfer was cancelled in December 2009.


2008–09 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team represented Marist College during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Red Foxes, led by seventh year head coach Brian Giorgis, play their home games at the McCann Center and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 29–4, 16–2 in MAAC play to finish in first place and win the MAAC regular season title for the sixth consecutive time.


2008–09 Marist Red Foxes women's basketball team
In the MAAC Women's Basketball Tournament, they defeated #9 seed Loyola (MD) in the quarterfinals, #5 seed Iona in the semifinals, and #2 seed Canisius in the championship game to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Tournament. It was their fourth consecutive MAAC Tournament championship. As a #12 seed, they were defeated by #5 seed Virginia 61–68 in the First Round.


2008–09 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team represented Marquette University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Buzz Williams, who served his first season as head coach, and second with Marquette. The team played its home games at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Key contributors included seniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Matthews, and juniors Lazar Hayward, Maurice Acker and Jimmy Butler.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Terrapins qualified for the NCAA tournament for just the second time since the 2003–04 season. Maryland advanced to the second round before being eliminated by second-seeded Memphis. This exceeded expectations for the team, which had been described as a team that was small in stature without any highly touted athletes.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
During the season, head coach Gary Williams came under fire for his alleged failure to find consistent success since Maryland won the national championship in 2002. At one point, he and an athletics department official argued publicly over the failure to secure recruit Tyree Evans and the transfer of Gus Gilchrist, two highly touted local players. Athletic director Deborah Yow responded to the situation by vowing support for Williams and ensured her intent to honor his current contract. Soon after, The Washington Post published a three-part feature on Maryland basketball that was critical of Gary Williams.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Early in the season, a lightly regarded Maryland team convincingly upset over fifth-ranked (and eventual national championship runners-up) Michigan State, 80–62, in the Old Spice Classic. Shortly thereafter, they defeated Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They then extended their winning streak to seven and appeared destined to win out in their non-conference schedule, which would have weighed heavily in their favor for an NCAA tournament bid. However, in their final out-of-conference game, they suffered an upset against Morgan State, 66–65.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
After a 2–2 start to their conference schedule, which included an overtime loss to Florida State, second-ranked Duke routed the Terrapins, 85–44, in what was Maryland's worst-ever ACC loss. Late in the season, Maryland recovered to "stun" third-ranked North Carolina in overtime, and point guard Greivis Vasquez recorded the first triple-double by a Terrapin since 1987. Maryland then lost closely contested games against seventh-ranked Duke and tenth-ranked Wake Forest.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Maryland entered the ACC tournament needing a significant run to salvage hopes for a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins won in the first round against NC State and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they won a convincing victory over Wake Forest, 75–64. In the semifinals, they lost a hard-fought game against eventual conference champions, Duke, who had enjoyed a bye in the first game.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Having exceeded expectations in the ACC tournament, Maryland was awarded a bid to the NCAA tournament with a seed ranking of ten. In the first round, they played seventh-seeded California, where, after a near stalemate in the first half, Maryland pulled away in the second to win, 84–71. They then faced second-seeded Memphis, which held a 26-game winning streak.


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Before the game, Memphis reserve forward Pierre Henderson-Niles said about Maryland, "We really ain't talked too much about Maryland. We watched a little film on 'em one time, and I know they got a good player—I don't know his name—but he good or whatever, so we just going to try to do what we do and stop him. I ain't never seen them; I know they got one good player, Sanchez or something like that, whatever his name is."


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Greivis Vasquez, the outspoken Maryland point guard to whom Henderson-Niles referred, said in response, "[Memphis would] have a losing record in the [Atlantic Coast Conference]—probably win all of their games outside the league, losing record in the league. The ACC is too tough. You can't just win games night in and night out because you’re so athletic."


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season recap
Memphis accumulated a 14–0 run in the first half. Maryland, unable to ever significantly close the gap, eventually lost, 89–70. After the game, Vasquez rescinded his earlier remarks and conceded that Memphis might have finished .500 in the ACC. He said, "They'll never play in the ACC, so we'll never know. But they proved me wrong. They're such a good team. I give them credit."


2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


2008–09 McGill Martlets women's ice hockey season
The McGill Martlets represented McGill University in the 2008-09 Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's hockey season. The Martlets posted an unblemished 33-0 record against CIS opponents to go undefeated for the second straight season en route to capturing another CIS banner. Catherine Ward, Chantal Gauvin and goaltender Kalie Townsend were the only graduating players from the Martlets.


2008–09 McGill Martlets women's ice hockey season, Regular season, Schedule
The Martlets participated in the Theresa Humes Tournament at Concordia University from January 2–4.


2008–09 McGill Martlets women's ice hockey season, Player stats
Rebecca Martindale, a 21-year-old education senior, posted a career-best 18 goals, 16 assists (34 points) in 42 games. Martindale doubled her points output from the previous season (42 games, 8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points). Chantal Gauvin, scored once and added 13 assists. She finished her McGill career with 7 goals, 29 assists and 36 points in 143 career contests.


2008–09 Meistriliiga (ice hockey) season
The 2008–09 Meistriliiga season was the 19th season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Five teams participated in the league, and HK Stars Tallinn won the championship.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season
The 2008-09 Hyundai A-League season was Melbourne Victory's fourth season. They finished top of the table at the end of the regular season and defeated Adelaide United in the Grand Final to take their second A-League title.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
The 2008–09 season brought the start of the A-League Youth League and the introduction of the W-League with Melbourne fielding teams in both competitions. Melbourne actively recruited, bringing in Socceroo Michael Thwaite on a one-year loan, Costa Rican World Cup player José Luis López, as well as Ney Fabiano from Asian Champions League rivals Chonburi FC.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
Melbourne's season got off to an optimal start, winning the Pre-Season Challenge Cup. A 0–0 draw resulted in a penalty shoot-out, with Victory winning 8–7 on penalties against Wellington Phoenix.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
After winning the pre-season cup, the Victory were held to a 0–0 draw away against Sydney FC. They reinforced their premiership favouritism by coasting to 4–2 and 5–0 victories against Wellington Phoenix and the Newcastle Jets respectively. Despite this, they succumbed 0–2 to an undermanned Sydney side at the Telstra Dome in front of 31,564 fans.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
On 6 December 2008, Melbourne Victory became the first A-League club to amass total crowd figures of 1,000,000 after their away match against Perth Glory.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
On 24 January 2009, Melbourne Victory won its final game of the season against Wellington Phoenix. The 2–0 win in front of 28,905 fans placed Victory ahead of Adelaide United on goals scored for the premiership title, a margin United failed to achieve in its 1–0 win over the Central Coast Mariners.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
The Victory kicked off their finals campaign on 7 February 2009 in the major semi-final first leg against bitter rival Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium, a game which was won courtesy of goals from Carlos Hernández and Danny Allsopp. In the second leg Melbourne defeated Adelaide United 4–0 with goals from Archie Thompson, Hernandez, Allsopp and Tom Pondeljak, granting Melbourne passage to the Grand Final on a 6–0 aggregate.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Season summary
Adelaide then defeated Queensland Roar to set up a rematch with Melbourne in the Grand Final, which the Victory won 1–0 with Tom Pondeljak scoring in the 59th minute to regain the A-League Championship and becoming the first A-League team to win their second championship, a feat since achieved by Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Players, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory FC season, Players, Transfers
* Steve Mautone is the current Melbourne Victory Goalkeeping coach and was named as the third choice goalkeeper for the AFC Champions League


2008–09 Melbourne Victory W-League season
The 2008–09 season is the Melbourne Victory's first season of football (soccer) in Australia's new women's league, the W-League.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory W-League season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Melbourne Victory W-League season, Milestones
First game = 2–0 win home V Central Coast MarinersLargest win = 3–0 win home V Perth Glory & away V Adelaide UnitedLargest loss = 3–1 loss home V Brisbane Roar


2008–09 Memphis Grizzlies season
The 2008–09 Memphis Grizzlies season was their 14th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Memphis Grizzlies finished 2 games ahead of their 2007–08 output, and finished 12th in the Western Conference as opposed to 14th.


2008–09 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2008–09 college basketball season, the 88th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by ninth-year head coach John Calipari, and they played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.


2008–09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey season
The 2008–09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team represented Mercyhurst College in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season. The Lakers were coached by Michael Sisti and had a 16-0 record in their conference. Assisting Sisti were Paul Colontino and Louis Goulet. Mike Folga was the Head Equipment Manager. The Lakers qualified for the Frozen Four and were finalists in the 2009 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The Lakers went 16-0 in conference play last season en route to their seventh-straight CHA Title. From 2002 to 2009, the Lakers were 74-3-5 in the regular season against CHA competition and 14-0 in the postseason.


2008–09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey season, Postseason
Vicki Bendus recorded four assists in the postseason. She assisted twice in the CHA quarterfinal victory over Niagara March 6. Meghan Corbett registered the game-winning goal in CHA final against Wayne State on March 7, after netting one goal in CHA semifinal March 6 vs. Niagara


2008–09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey season, Postseason
On March 14, Bendus and Bailey Bram both got the helper on Kelley Steadman’s goal in NCAA quarterfinal win over No. 7 St. Lawrence. During the postseason, Meghan Corbett tallied three postseason goals, including a second period marker in national semifinal victory over No. 2 Minnesota March 20 In that game, Bram scored a first-period goal.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
Mersin İdmanyurdu (also Mersin İdman Yurdu, Mersin İY, or MİY) Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 2008–09. The team participated in TFF Second League for 4th time in the league's 7th season. Mersin İdmanyurdu has finished 2007–08 TFF Second League Promotion Group at 2nd place and directly promoted to 2009–10 TFF First League season.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
Hüseyin Çalışkan was club president at the start of the season. On 24 September 2008, Ali Kahramanlı was elected president. Ercan Albay managed the team during the season. Erdal Sezek and Sami İzcican were most appeared (36) players, while Zafer Biryol was the top goalscorer with 16 goals.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation
Mersin idmanyurdu participated in 2008–09 TFF Second League (the league has been played under the name of "Second League Category B" between 2001–02 and 2005–06; "TFF League B" in 2006–07; and "TFF Second League" since 2007–08. Also sponsor names have been included in various seasons.). League was played by 54 teams in three stages. League was started on 31 August 2008. In the first stage teams fought in regionally specified five ranking groups (10 teams in Group 5, 11 teams in 1,2,3, and 4th Groups) for top two rankings to be qualified for Promotion Group in the next stage.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation
In the second stage 10 teams fought for promotion to 2009–10 TFF First League. Champions and runners-up directly were promoted. Remaining (8 in Group 5; 9 in other groups) teams played in Classification Groups. Classification group winners were qualified to promotion play-offs, while bottom two teams relegated to 2009–10 TFF Third League. In the third stage, the third team to be promoted was determined in promotion-play-offs played in one-leg elimination system in a neutral venue. Play-offs were played by 8 teams (three from promotion group, 5 from each classification groups) in Ankara Cebeci İnönü Stadium between 26–31 May 2009.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation
Mersin İdmanyurdu took place in 2008–09 TFF Second League Ranking Group 3 in the first stage and finished 2nd. In Promotion Group, team finished at 2nd again and gained direct promotion to 2009–10 TFF First League.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation, Results summary
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 2008–09 TFF Second League season league summary:


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation, Ranking group league table
Mersin İY's league performance in 2008–09 TFF Second League Ranking Group 3 is shown in the following table.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation, Ranking group games
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 2008–09 TFF Second League season first half game reports in Ranking Group 2 is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation, Promotion group league table
Mersin İY's league performance in 2008–09 TFF Second League Promotion Group season is shown in the following table.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 TFF Second League participation, Promotion group games
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 2008–09 TFF Second League season first half game reports in Promotion Group is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 Turkish Cup participation
MİY did not participate in 2008–09 Turkish Cup due to eligibility rules. 47th Turkish Cup (played as Fortis Türkiye Kupası for sponsorship purposes) was played by 54 teams in three stages. Top four teams in previous year's TFF Second League groups were eligible to play. MİY had finished 2007–08 season in 6th place was not eligible to play in the Cup. In the first stage two qualification rounds were played in one-leg elimination system. In the second stage (Group Stage) 20 teams played in four groups, 5 teams in each, in a one-leg round-robin system. Top two teams in each group played in knock-out stage. Beşiktaş won the cup for the 8th time.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, Management, Club management
Hüseyin Çalışkan was club president at the start of the season. Ali Kahramanlı, a businessman, was elected president in the club congress held on 24 September 2008 after fourth round in the first stage.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, Management, Coaching team
Ercan Albay managed the team during the season. He was commonly mentioned with Adana sides who were main rivals of the fans, so he met with reaction, but he come down to the history of the club by the promotion to upper league in this season.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 2008–09 squad
Appearances, goals and cards count for 2008–09 TFF Second League Ranking and Promotion Group games. This season optional kit numbers selected by players were allowed for the first time in the league's history. 18 players appeared in each game roster, three to be replaced. Only the players who appeared in game rosters were included and listed in order of appearance.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, U-18 team
TFF organized Deplasmanlı Süper Gençler Ligi (DSGL) (Round-robin Super Youth League) in 2008–09. League was formed by 10 regional groups. Mersin İdmanyurdu U-18 team took place in Adana Group with 12 other teams from clubs that participated that year in professional leagues. MİY youth team finished 2nd after Adana Demirspor.


2008–09 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, U-18 team
Being runners-up of Adana Group, MİY U-18 team promoted to national group stage, where three teams played elimination games. MİY eliminated Şanlıurfaspor 1-0 (a.e.t) and Tokatspor 7-6 (1-1 and 6-5 pen.) in Group B. The group B games were played in Kahramanmaraş. In quarter-finals MİY U-18 team lost to Gaziantepspor 1-2 in İstanbul and was eliminated. Later Gaziantepspor was eliminated at semi-finals.


2008–09 Mestis season
The 2008–09 Mestis season was the ninth season of the Mestis, the second level of ice hockey in Finland. 12 teams participated in the league, and Sport won the championship.


2008–09 Miami Heat season
The 2008–09 Miami Heat season was the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


2008–09 Miami Heat season
Following a disastrous 15-67 season, Pat Riley resigned as head coach, and assistant coach Erik Spoelstra was promoted to become the new head coach; he was the youngest NBA head coach at the time of his hiring. With a healthy Dwyane Wade back in the lineup, the Heat greatly improved on their regular season record and returned to the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games, all of which were decided by double-digit margins.


2008–09 Miami Heat season, Transactions, Trades
The Heat traded Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, and cash to the Toronto Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon, and a $4 Million trade exception on February 13, 2009.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year as head coach. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were member of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season 31–7, 15–3 in Big Ten play to win the Big Ten regular season championship by four games. They defeated Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Ohio State in the semifinals.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The Spartans received their 12th-straight NCAA Tournament bid, an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region. They defeated Robert Morris, USC, Kansas, and Louisville to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time under Izzo. In the Final Four, they defeated UConn to advance to the National Championship game where they lost to North Carolina.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 2007–08 season 27–9, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Michigan State received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their 11th straight trip to the Tournament, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, their seventh trip under Tom Izzo, before losing to Memphis.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans lost Drew Neitzel (13.9 points and 4 assists per game) to graduation following the season.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
Michigan State was led by sophomore Kalin Lucas (14.7 points and 4.6 assists per game), junior Raymar Morgan (10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game), and senior Goran Suton (10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game).


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The team began the season ranked No. 6 in the country and began the season well with home wins against Idaho and IPFW (coached by future MSU assistant coach Dane Fife).


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The Spartans next traveled to Florida to participate in the Old Spice Classic. In the first round, they faced unranked Maryland who controlled the game, defeating MSU 80–62. The Spartans rebounded from the loss to Maryland by beating Oklahoma State 94–79 in the consolation bracket. In the consolation championship, MSU defeated Wichita State 65–57 behind 12 points from Marquise Gray.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The Spartans then faced No. 1 North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge at the site of the upcoming Final Four, Ford Field. There, MSU was blown out, 98–63. Izzo took the blame for the loss, "The blame goes on me for the scheduling. We were dead."


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
Michigan State returned home after playing five straight games away from the Breslin Center. Following easy wins over Bradley, Alcorn State, and The Citadel, MSU then went on the road again to face No. 5-ranked Texas at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. MSU, ranked 19th in the AP poll, were led by Goran Suton's 18 points, but still trailed as time wound down in the game. Durrell Summers hit a three-pointer with 18.6 second remaining to help pull out a 67–63 win.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The Spartans next defeated Oakland at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, 82–66, to move to 9–2 and were ranked No. 10 in the country to finish the non-conference schedule.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
MSU opened conference play on New Year's Eve with a win over No. 21 Minnesota behind a career-high 24 points from Kalin Lucas. Wins over Northwestern and Ohio State followed before the Spartans stepped back out of conference to welcome defending national champion Kansas to the Breslin Center on January 11. MSU fell behind early 7–1 and 11–6, but fought back before taking control of the game at the half with a 37–18 lead. Lucas again led the Spartans, scoring 22 points as the Spartans won 75–62 for their ninth straight win, pushing their record to 13–2 on the season.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
Wins over Penn State and No. 20 Illinois pushed the win streak to 11. Prior to the win over Illinois, the Spartans retired Morris Peterson's jersey. The win over Illinois also gave MSU a 5–0 record in Big Ten play, their best start in conference since 1978. Looking to extend their win streak to 12 games, MSU welcomed Northwestern to the Breslin Centeron January 21. The Spartans, hampered by Raymar Morgan's sickness, were stunned by Northwestern, losing 70–63. The loss ended the Spartans 28-game home winning streak as well and left them at 5–1 in conference, 15–3 overall.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
MSU returned to their winning ways defeating Ohio State and Iowa on the road to mark five straight Big Ten road wins. Another surprising loss at home, this time to Penn State, preceded a second win over No. 21-ranked Minnesota. At 18–4 and 8–2 on the season, the Spartans returned to the top ten rankings, moving to No. 9 in the AP poll. The Spartans then welcomed former Izzo assistant Tom Crean, coach of Indiana, to the Breslin Center on February 7. MSU, led by freshman Draymond Green's 15 points and 12 rebounds, blew out the Hoosiers, 75–47.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The Spartans then took their perfect road record to Michigan. MSU led the majority of the game, but Michigan rallied to within four with under five minutes remaining. But Kalin Lucas, who scored 13 of his 15 points after half time, made a three to extend the lead and Delvon Roe scored a season-high 14 points as MSU won 54–42.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The win over Michigan moved MSU to No. 6 in the AP poll (No. 5 in the Coaches Poll) and set up an important road game against No. 19 Purdue. The Boilermakers forced 22 Spartan turnovers, blocked eight shots and held MSU to 33% from the field. Lucas scored 13 for MSU, but it wasn't enough as they were blown out 72–54. The Purdue loss broke the road-winning streak, but still left MSU at 20–5 and 10–3 in conference.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
The Purdue loss would also mark the last regular season loss by the Spartans. Wins over Wisconsin and Iowa preceded the No. 9-ranked Spartans trip to No. 20 Illinois. Lucas led the Spartans again with 18 points as they defeated Illinois 74–66 clinching a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. With a 64–59 win at Indiana on March 3, the Spartans won their first Big Ten regular season title since 2001 and first outright title since 1999. In the final game of the season, a 62–51 win over No. 19 Purdue, Lucas scored 21 points to lead MSU to the Big Ten championship by four games with a 15–3 record, 25–5 overall, and ranked No. 7 in the country.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Regular season
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Kalin Lucas was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Tom Izzo was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year. Travis Wilson was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Goran Suton was a second team All-Big Ten selection. Delvon Roe was named to the Big Ten freshmen team.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, Big Ten Tournament
As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, MSU had a bye into the quarterfinals. Looking to make their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, MSU defeated No. 8-seeded Minnesota 64–56 led by Chris Allen's 17 points. The win moved the Spartans to the Big Ten semifinals to face Ohio State. However, Michigan State's hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament vanished as they were defeated by Ohio State, 82–70. Evan Turner had 18 points to lead the Buckeyes to win the over the Spartans, who shot just 38 percent from the field.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
Michigan State received an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, their 12th straight appearance in the Tournament. Though they only received a No. 2 seed, the path to the Final Four looked good for the Spartans with games in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Indianapolis, Indiana before the Final Four in Detroit.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In the First Round, the Spartans defeated No. 15-seed Robert Morris 77–62 behind Raymar Morgan's 16 points and Goran Suton's 11 points and 17 rebounds. Draymond Green added 16 points in the easy win. In the Second Round, MSU faced No. 10-seed USC for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, which would be their second straight and eighth overall trip under Izzo. With a surprising offensive output by Travis Walton, scoring a career-high 18 points, the Spartans were able to hold off USC to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In the Sweet Sixteen, MSU faced No. 14-ranked and No. 3-seeded Kansas, marking the MSU's eighth trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the previous 12 years. The game was held in Indianapolis where MSU was 5–0 all time in NCAA Tournament games. Michigan State trailed by as many as 13 in the first half as Lucas struggled from the field. MSU trailed 36–29 at the half, but started strong in the second half as Draymond Green cut the Kansas lead to just one point three minutes into the half. Lucas sealed the win by scoring seven points in the final 49 seconds of the game (going 5–5 from the free throw line) as MSU advanced to the Elite Eight with a 67–62 win.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In the Elite Eight, the Spartans faced overall No. 1 seed Louisville with a chance to go to a Final Four in nearby Detroit, only 90 miles from MSU's campus. Led by MSU's rugged defense, Louisville, who had scored 103 points in their win over Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen, was held to 52 points and lost for the first time in 14 games. The Spartans, who slowed the game down, were led by Suton's 19 points and 10 rebounds and won 64–52. The win sent MSU to the Final Four for the fifth time in 11 seasons. "Detroit, here we come," said coach Tom Izzo, a Michigan native. "I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that." Durrell Summers contributed 10 second-half points in the win.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In Detroit for the Final Four, the Spartans practiced before a crowd of over 30,000 fans as they were clearly the hometown favorites. In the national semifinals, Michigan State faced Connecticut, another No. 1 seed, for the right to play for the national championship. Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 21 points and Raymar Morgan added 18 as the smaller Spartans took it to the much bigger Huskies, led by Hasheem Thabeet. MSU led by two at the half and pulled away in the second to win 82–73 to advance to the national championship game. In contrast to the slowed down play against Louisville in the Elite Eight, MSU pushed the ball and wore out Thabeet and the Huskies.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
In the National Championship game, the Spartans were re-matched with North Carolina, whom they had also lost to earlier in the season at Ford Field. Michigan State was appearing in only its third national championship game, going 2–0 in prior trips while winning the 1979 and 2000 Tournaments. Even better, under Tom Izzo, MSU was 14–2 in the second game of a weekend in NCAA Tournament play.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
However, the game started horribly for MSU as North Carolina jumped out to a lead of 17–7 in the first five minutes and extend the lead to 24–7 with 14 minutes remaining in the half. North Carolina scored more points than any team had ever scored in the first half of an NCAA championship game, scoring 55 and blowing out the Spartans 55–34 at the half. MSU's 14 turnovers in the first half aided the Tar Heels 52.9% shooting. In counter, the Spartans only made 12 baskets in the first half. The Spartans held UNC in check more in the second half, outscoring the Tar Heels 38–34, but it was too little too late. The Spartans were defeated by North Carolina 89–72, marking the Spartans' first ever loss in the national championship game.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary, NCAA Tournament
The Spartans faced three No. 1 seeds (Louisville, UConn, and North Carolina) in the Tournament, only losing to North Carolina.


2008–09 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Spartans were coached by Suzy Merchant and played their home games at the Breslin Center.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in competitive college basketball during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I season. The 2008–09 season marked the team's ninety-second consecutive season as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Big Ten Conference. The team finished the season with a 21–14 overall record and a 9–9 conference record. The 9–9 conference record tied for seventh place in the 2008–09 Big Ten conference standings. Michigan was seeded seventh in the single-elimination 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament where it advanced one round.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
They were seeded tenth in the South Regional bracket of the single-elimination 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where it also advanced one round before losing to the Blake Griffin-led Oklahoma Sooners. Jevohn Shepherd and David Merritt served as team co-captains, and Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims shared team MVP honors.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2008–09 season marked a turnaround for the team for several reasons. The team rebounded from a 10–22 overall record and a 5–13 conference record during the previous 2007–08 season. The season was highlighted by the team's first two wins in eleven years against teams ranked among the top five in the AP Poll, and by the team's first trip to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament since the 1998 Tournament.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Although the team had appeared in the 1998 NCAA tournament, the last appearance in the NCAA tournament that had been recognized in official NCAA records as not having been tainted by the University of Michigan basketball scandal was their 1995 Tournament appearance. The team was in its first year off scholarship probation, which following the scandal had restricted the number of available scholarships. However, the team continued to be prohibited from affiliating with implicated athletes (Chris Webber, Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock) until 2012, which meant, among other things, that the players could not help the University recruit. The team began the season unranked, but in December 2008 it earned its first place in the top 25 since February 2006. As the season progressed, the team adopted the slogan "Queme los barcos", which is Spanish for "burn the ships", as a reminder that there was no turning back.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
For the forty-second consecutive season, the team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Crisler Arena, which has a capacity of 13,751. John Beilein was in his second season as head coach with the team during the 2008–2009 season. At the conclusion of the season, guard Manny Harris was named to the All-Big Ten first team, and forward DeShawn Sims was selected by the Big Ten media to the second team and chosen by the Big Ten coaches for the third team.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Preview
Their 2008–09 pre-conference schedule included Atlantic Coast Conference members Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils, who went on to win the 2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament. The team also played against geographical rival Eastern Michigan and the preseason #2 ranked Connecticut Huskies.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Preview
Unlike conference rivals Michigan State, Purdue, and Wisconsin, Michigan was not ranked in the top 25 by either the Associated Press or the ESPN/USA Today preseason polls. In fact, the team did not even receive any votes, like rival Ohio State, in either poll. Pre season reports described the team as a contender for fifth place in the conference. Although the team was building from a 10–22 record, it won five of its last ten games the prior year. A poll of 22 members of the media published in the Detroit Free Press ranked Michigan eighth in the conference. The Sports Illustrated 2008 College Basketball Preview issue did not select the team as one of the five predicted Big Ten teams (the four mentioned above and the Minnesota Golden Gophers) to qualify for the NCAA tournament.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Roster
On May 5, 2008, sophomore Epke Udoh, the Big Ten's top shotblocker, decided to transfer for his final two years of athletic eligibility. Beilein attempted to replace Udoh with Robin Benzing, a member of Germany's national youth team. However, Benzing failed to meet the NCAA's initial-eligibility guidelines and did not play. Beilein was able to partially solve the problem of complimenting Manny Harris by luring point guard Laval Lucas-Perry to transfer from Arizona. Perry became eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester. The team anticipated relying on 7-foot (2.1 m) freshman center Ben Cronin to make up for the loss of Udoh and Ron Coleman, who averaged over 21 minutes each of his four seasons. Including Cronin, the team had three incoming recruits.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Roster
Michigan granted two of its scholarships to fifth-year redshirt graduate students C.J. Lee and David Merritt in September. Lee and Merritt had both been 2007–08 Big Ten Academic All-Conference selections. The varsity roster included fourteen players, thirteen of whom saw live game action. In December, the Wolverines made the decision to redshirt Ben Cronin after only 10 minutes of play. He had hip surgery on January 14.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Roster, Incoming signees
The incoming class had no four- or five-star recruits. However, it included three players that Rivals.com listed as three-star recruits. Only Ben Cronin was also listed as three-star by scout.com.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Roster, 2009–10 team recruits
Incoming recruit Darius Morris and two Division I recruit teammates led Windward High School to the California Division V state title. Darius Morris received MVP of Olympic League, CIF Division 5A Southern Section Player of Year, and CIF Division 5A State Player of Year. Also Darius was awarded a John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award, received by Jrue Holiday the year before and the likes of Jason Kapono and Tayshaun Prince in the past.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Roster, 2009–10 team recruits
Matt Vogrich won the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award, following in the footsteps of Derrick Rose and Jon Scheyer. Unlike Scheyer and Rose, he did not win Illinois Mr. Basketball. Kelvin Grady announced his intent to transfer at the end of the season.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Playing style
Over the course of the season, they developed a reputation for shooting a lot of three-point shots and for not turning over the basketball. The team ranked among the national leaders in three-point shots made per game. The ballhandling ability was a function of the Michigan lineup which often employed four guards and one center/forward, which meant that at any time the team had several adept ballhandlers on the court.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Playing style
By the end of the season, the starting lineup usually included four players 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) or shorter and Sims who is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m). As a team that relied on the three-point shot, it was streaky and was susceptible to hot and cold stretches. The team relied on a deep bench and had 10 players who averaged 10 minutes per game. Even the eleventh player averaged 9.6 minutes. The offense used patient ball movement with backdoor cutters and slashers, which necessitated that defenses chase shooters and peel off picks. The offense resulted in a shot mix that employed three-pointers for about 48% of its shots.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Playing style
On defense, the team was known for employing Beilein's trademark trapping 1–3–1 halfcourt zone defense, which required opponents to be skilled at perimeter passing. The zone defense was generally employed after made baskets and dead-ball situations. After offensive misses or turnovers, the Wolverines relied on man-to-man defense. Depending on the matchups the team also used a 2–3 zone defense because the team did not have the type of athletes necessary to play on the wings of his 1–3–1. It employed the 1–3–1 less later in the season, and about ten percent of opponent possessions altogether. In total, the team used some sort of zone defense about 40 percent of the time. The team was also among the top 35 (of over 300) in the nation in terms of three-point shot defense.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Accomplishments
On December 13, 2008, the team tied Dartmouth’s current  national record for most different players to make a three-point field goal in game set in 1993 when 9 players made three-point shots against Eastern Michigan. The team also set the current Big Ten Conference single-game three-point field goals attempted record of 42 on December 22, 2008 against Florida Gulf Coast and the conference games record of 40 on January 7, 2009 against Indiana. Over the course of the season the team set the current Big Ten Conference single-season three-point field goals attempted record if 912 as well as the single-season conference games record of 471. The team led the Big Ten Conference with 151 three-point field goals made in conference games.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Accomplishments
The team set several school records. Its single-season total of 305 three-point field goals made surpassed the 1998 school record total of 260. This record was surpassed by the 2013–14 team. The team's single-game total of 16 three-point field goals made against Eastern Michigan on December 13, 2008 surpassed the school record 15 made on February 22, 1998. The team also established the school’s single-season free throw percentage record of 75.7% (412–544) surpassed the 75.4% set in 2002.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
Although the Big Ten Network had a two and a half hour special that featured Midnight Madness events from several Big Ten campuses on October 17, 2008, the Michigan Wolverines were not a featured part of the show. Michigan began the season with Ben Cronin suffering from a torn acetabular labrum (hip joint) and considering redshirting. The team started its season as the host of a 2K Sports College Hoops Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic tournament regional in which they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies and Northeastern Huskies at Crisler Arena. Manny Harris won the second Big Ten Player of the week award of his career for his performances during these games.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
The first two victories qualified Michigan to appear in the tournament final four at the Madison Square Garden where the unranked Wolverines team upset the #4 ranked UCLA Bruins men's basketball team for its first win over a top-five team in eleven years on November 20, 2008. The 55–52 win also ended a twelve-game losing streak against ranked opponents. During the game, Michigan forced 17 UCLA turnovers with its 1–3–1 zone defense. Nonetheless, Michigan fell behind by as many as 10 points at one point in the game.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
In the first half, the Wolverines shot 31.3% from the field, and in the second half, they shot 61.9%, including 4 of 8 on three-point shots. Michigan trailed by two with 4 minutes and 16 seconds left before Stu Douglass made a three-point basket and Sims scored a few possessions later after a steal. In the final seconds UCLA's Nikola Dragovic hit a 3-point shot with five seconds left to reduce Michigan's four-point lead to one. Then UCLA sent Harris to the line where he made two free throws.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
In the final seconds Michigan defended an attack by Darren Collison who had his final shot blocked by Harris. At that point in the season, Michigan used DeShawn Sims as a sixth man. He played 28 minutes off the bench and led the team in scoring with 18 while being tied for the lead with 5 rebounds. Despite losing to #10 ranked (#5 in the Coaches' Poll) Duke the following night, the Wolverines began receiving votes in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings for the week of November 24.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
The team earned a pair of non-conference victories against Norfolk State and Savannah State. In the Savannah St. game, Sims made a jump shot from the corner as time expired to win the game in overtime. Michigan had trailed by 20 at halftime, but scored the first 15 points of the second half. Next, the team was matched up against the Maryland in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, where they lost on December 3. The Maryland game marked Sims' entry into the starting lineup.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
On December 6, 2008 Michigan posted its second consecutive win over a top 5 opponent in a rematch against Duke with an 81–73 victory. The game included 11 lead changes and 16 ties. The close contest allowed the fans to play a part as they forced Duke to use a time out to quiet the noisy crowd late in the second half. The game, which had an attendance of 13,751, marked Michigan's 168th sellout and eighth consecutive as host to Duke. Sims, in his new starting role, led the way with 28 points (a career-high) and 12 rebounds.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
Novak contributed 14 off the bench including 4 for 7 on three-point shots. Gerald Henderson fouled out in only 19 minutes of play. Michigan trailed 53–50 with 8 minutes and 38 seconds remaining before Novak hit three-point shots on consecutive possessions to give Michigan the lead for good. Michigan built a 68–59 lead with 3 minutes and 7 seconds left. Then, Duke made four straight three-point shots while Michigan made 13 of its last 14 free throws to defend its lead. The fourth three-pointer cut the lead to 75–71 with 51.3 seconds remaining.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
The game was the first time Michigan had defeated multiple top five teams in the same season since 1986–87 when it upended fifth-ranked Syracuse, 91–88 (January 18, 1987), second-ranked Iowa, 100–92 (January 31, 1987), and third-ranked Purdue, 104–68 (March 7, 1987). At that point in the season, Michigan's two wins against top five teams were as many as the rest of the nation combined.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
Then, after beating Eastern Michigan the following week, they welcomed Laval Lucas-Perry to the lineup as he contributed 14 points in 16 minutes of play in a victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Two days later on December 22, Michigan entered the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time since February 6, 2006.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Preconference
Later that night in a victory over Florida-Gulf Coast, DeShawn Sims became the first Wolverine to score 20 points and add 20 rebounds since Phil Hubbard had 22 points and 26 rebounds in a victory over University of Detroit in the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This performance earned him his second career Big Ten Player of the Week award. On December 29, the team entered the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Big Ten Season
After a win over North Carolina Central, which gave the Wolverines ten wins to match its previous season's total, the team lost its Big Ten Conference opener against the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Eve. The win made Michigan the first ranked team that Wisconsin defeated during the season after three previous losses. During the game Zack Novak scored his season high 20 points, but Harris was held to 9 points and Wisconsin shot 58.7% from the field.


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Big Ten Season
On January 4, the team earned its first conference victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini when five player chipped in with double digit scoring efforts and the defense induced a low shooting percentage in the second half. The loss during the week caused Michigan to fall from the top 25 of both polls. Michigan rallied from a 20-point deficit against the Indiana Hoosiers to force overtime in which it prevailed on January 7. It was the team's first victory in Bloomington, Indiana since 1995. On January 11, defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes marking eight wins in nine games starting with the Duke upset. Michigan opened a 32–16 lead and was never challenged afterwards. Following the Indiana and Iowa victories, Michigan moved back into the top 25 in both polls (AP #25, ESPN/USAT #24).


2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Season, Big Ten Season
Beilein stayed at 499 career wins at four-year academic institutions, as Michigan suffered its first consecutive losses of the season when its second conference loss, which came against Illinois on January 14, was followed by a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 17. The Illinois contest was a rematch from ten days earlier. After a 31–30 Michigan halftime lead resulting from 11 lead changes, Illinois shut down Michigan early in the second half to build a 57–45 lead with 5 minutes remaining.