The Michigan Women’s Basketball team is having a historic start to its 2025-2026 season. Led by coach Kim Barnes Arico, the Wolverines currently sit at No. 8 in the AP Poll and sixth in NET, second in the Big Ten behind No. 3 UCLA.
With a 14-2 overall record, the Wolverines have a lot to be proud of. Their biggest win of the season came against Notre Dame on Nov. 15, defeating the then-No. 23 team in the country by a whopping 39 points. Despite not playing a ton of top teams yet, their overall scoring
margin is 31 points (which also ranks sixth in the country) and the margin of victory across 14 games is 36 points.
To put it shortly, it has been pure domination.
They are not undefeated, but their two losses were to top-ranked and undefeated UConn by three points, and at Washington by 12 on the second leg of a West Coast road trip. The road doesn’t get easy down the stretch, as the Wolverines will play nine games against ranked competition, but they have put themselves in a very good position for postseason play.
Before the Wolverines lock in for the final stretch, here is our midseason report card.
Shooting: A-
How you attain such a high margin of victory starts with the offense, and shooting at a high clip has been Michigan’s calling card so far this season. The Wolverines have excelled at creating high-quality looks inside the arc, thriving in transition and attacking mismatches in the half court.
The Wolverines have four players averaging double figures — Olivia Olson (17.9 points), Syla Swords (13.9 points), Mila Holloway (12.8 points), Te’yala Delfosse (11.3 points), all of whom have had individual games leading the team in scoring. Despite Olson being Michigan’s leading scorer, she has only led the team in scoring six times during the first 14 games, proving it could be someone else’s turn to get hot any given night.
Michigan has cooled off slightly in recent weeks, gutting out a double-overtime win at Oregon, dropping the aforementioned game at Washington and rallying for a come-from-behind win s Minnesota. But the shot-making has been there throughout.
Michigan ranks No. 19 in the country in field goal percentage at 47.28 percent and No. 6 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 88.9 points per game. While regression facing top competition is likely, sustained efficiency from all three levels will be crucial down the stretch.
Defense: A-
This has quietly been the backbone of Michigan’s dominance. Allowing less than 58 points per game while holding opponents to just 36.4 percent shooting, Michigan consistently forces tough shots, closes out well on shooters and limits transition opportunities.
The defensive effort also held up against high-level competition, most notably against UConn, as Michigan held the Huskies to its season-low (72 points) and became the only team to play UConn to one possession since its last loss 33 games ago. While occasional rebounding lapses have allowed opponents extra possessions in recent weeks, those issues have been situational rather than systemic. Overall, Michigan’s defense has been consistent, connected and capable of winning games even when the offense sputters.
Depth: B+
The biggest immediate decision Barnes Arico must make before the final stretch of the regular season is how to play her rotations.
For a team that played seven in a consistent rotation last season, this year has been quite a shift. So far for the Wolverines, 10 players are averaging double-digit minutes, and the team ranks No. 13 in the country in bench points per game (29.8 points).
From McKenzie Mathurin scoring 15 points off the bench against Penn State, to Te’Yala Delfosse putting up 14 points and nine boards in the double-OT win vs Oregon, to Kendall Dudley contributing 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals in the win over Wisconsin, Barnes Arico has maximized her deep lineup.
Performance vs. Expectations: A
Michigan entered the season with high hopes, but it has surpassed even optimistic projections. As a preseason top-15 team, the Wolverines were expected to contend, but domination was still not clearly projected given the amount of talent they have faced.
Instead, they’ve spent much of the season among the nation’s elite, climbing into the top-10 of both the AP Poll and NET, and are currently projected to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While the early-season blowouts have given way to closer, more physical conference games, Michigan has risen to the challenge and it heading into the hardest stretch with motivation and momentum.
Relative to expectations, Michigan hasn’t just met the moment – it has raised the ceiling for what this season can be.
