FORT WORTH, Texas —The historic run the Michigan Wolverines are on will continue as they advance to the Elite 8 after defeating the Louisville Cardinals, 71-52.
The last time the Wolverines made it to the Elite 8 was in 2022, where they lost, 62-50, against the Cardinals.
This year, things could be different as they move to the next round to face the Texas Longhorns for a chance to earn a coveted spot in the Final Four. Knocking Texas out will not be an easy feat; but sophomore guard Syla Swords told reporters that she feels that they are capable of beating any team because of the brand of basketball they play.
“Anybody on the roster can go off and have an exciting game. [Te’Yala Delfrosse] coming in and shooting layups over 6’4 players. Brooke Daniels who is 5’7 getting touch back rebounds or [Olivia Olson] being able to come up the floor and breakdown any point guard in the country. Anybody can come out and have a night. We’re an exciting brand of basketball to watch and we can beat anybody in the country, and I believe that if we are on our game.”
The conversation around Michigan’s success as a program could change after their run this year. Led by their sophomore class, the Wolverines’ young core only leaves room for more growth and opportunity.
They were in this same position in 2022 when the team was led by former standout Naz Hillmon. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico told reporters that the vibe of the two teams is very similar.
“I think the chemistry, the unselfishness, the love for Michigan, the pure joy that they have playing with each other, all of those things are similar to the ’22,” she said.
The landscape of college basketball has changed over the past few years with the introduction of NIL and a very active transfer portal. 6’1 guard Olivia Olson gave credit to Barnes Arico for building this team the old school way through recruiting with a focus on player development.
“Michigan is the best place in the world and we wanted to come here to play for her, play for each other and to be able to do something that has never been done before. Haz was here which was really cool. Last time they went to the Elite 8 she was part of that, so it is kind of a full circle moment just for her to be back. In this class we’re just so connected and it is the whole team really [and] it’s just the Michigan Culture,” she told reporters.
Things started off slow for Michigan against Louisville in the first quarter. They went on a 20-2 going into the fourth quarter and Louisville could not dig themselves out of that hole, or find their footing and get into a good flow.
Junior forward Elif Istanbulluoglu was the only player to score in double digits for Louisville with 18 points. All five Michigan starters contributed to scoring, led by Olson and Swords who put up 19 and 16 points respectively.
Michigan will have a shot to make even more program history if they can secure a win over against the Longhorns in the Elite 8 on March 30.
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