FORT WORTH, Texas – As a recent team-building activity, players from the Michigan women’s basketball team each found a quote that resonated with them and brought it in to share with the team.
According to coach Kim Barnes Arico, sophomore guard Olivia Olson’s quote was particularly poignant given the team’s historic run, saying something along the lines of “you have to be a contender before you are a champion.”
And they did contend, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history, before falling 77-41 to top-seeded Texas at Dickies Arena in the Fort Worth 3 Region. They finish the season with a 28-7 record.
“I know our team is really disappointed tonight,” Barnes Arico told reporters after the game. “They probably can’t see what they accomplished in this moment right now, but what they’ve been able to do this season and their development, and their commitment, and their chemistry, all of it, is really, really special.”
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Amidst the run, Michigan set records for regular-season wins (24), Big Ten wins (15), and total points (3,024). They also tied the record for most wins in a season (28) and earned Michigan’s highest-ever tournament seed as No. 2 in the region. Another step on the rung as Barnes Arico builds her Michigan program.
“They decided to come to the University of Michigan when they could have gone to the programs that had that rich tradition, but they wanted to do something different,” Barnes Arico told reporters on Sunday ahead of the regional final. “They wanted to be the first to be the champion. They wanted to hang that banner for Michigan.”
Though they haven’t made it past the quarterfinals yet, Barnes Arico has set them on quite the path since arriving at the school in 2012. They went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in her first season, then rebuilt slowly in the WNIT, starting with a third-round appearance, then playing in the semifinals twice before winning the tournament in 2017.
The build has been almost as quick on the NCAA side, where the Wolverines have made eight straight appearances, excluding the 2019-20 COVID year. They’ve won 20-plus games in seven of those campaigns and finished tied for fifth or better in the Big Ten Tournament.
The 2022 squad, which featured WNBA player Naz Hillmon, set a new standard, tying a program-best 13 wins in conference play before advancing to the Elite Eight.
The following year, the Wolverines signed their highest-ranked recruiting class with Syla Swords and Olson, who were ranked No. 11 and No. 15 by ESPN.
“They came because they watched her. They came because they wanted to be the next Naz Hillmon,” Barnes Arico said, revealing that Hillmon flew in for their Sweet 16 game against Louisville.
Those two now highlight the incoming junior class, which includes two more starters in Te’Yala Delfosse and Kendall Dudley, as well as Aaiyanna Dunbar, who will all have their own deep run to build on in the fall. They also have seniors Macy Brown and Ashley Sofilkanich to help lead the pack.
In addition to their tournament experience, the Wolverines also matched up well with the nation’s top teams throughout the season, defeating fellow Elite Eight program Notre Dame and losing by just one possession to Final Four-bound UConn and UCLA.
“We’re going to use this as fuel,” Olson said after Monday’s game, reflecting on that quote she chose. “We’re not there yet, but we’re going to keep working to get there.”
From the way they talked postgame, it sounds like that fuel is ready for injection, as soon as they get the go-ahead from Barnes Arico, who urged them to take a deep breath.
“Those five are a core group to the future of this program, and they all are really special in their own way. They all bring something incredible to our team and to our program. They know that it’s their turn now, and they know that they want to get back in the gym.”
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