Make no mistake—Michigan’s goal this year is the ultimate goal: winning a national championship.
If they accomplish the feat, it will mean moving beyond the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Much like their fellow Big Ten program Indiana, the Wolverines have risen to national prominence over the past decade, as the Big Ten has thrust itself into the best-conference-in-the-country conversation. After making the Big Dance six times over the course of the first 37 years of the NCAA era,
Michigan has made it the past eight times in a row, plus earned a No. 6 seed in Swish Appeal’s 2020 hypothetical bracket when the tournament was canceled.
After defeating then-No. 2 UConn in this season’s opener, the Wolverines (2-0) earned their highest ranking ever this week at No. 2.
They are led by juniors Olivia Olson (19 points, six rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game), Te’Yala Delfosse (16.5 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game) and Syla Swords (13 points per game). The fourth star from that recruiting class, point guard Mila Holloway, is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury, so just imagine how good the team that just beat the Huskies could be.
Naz Hillmon first put Michigan in the national conversation in 2018
Before the current junior core, Naz Hillmon came along as the No. 58 freshman in the high school class of 2018 and led Michigan in scoring (13.2 points per game) and rebounding (seven boards per game) while shooting 62.8 percent from the field in 2018-19. The Wolverines would make the NCAA Tournament for the second time of the current streak of eight appearances, losing in the second round as a No. 8 seed.
Then came the hypothetical No. 6 seed in 2019-20. Hillmon averaged 17.4 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game in her sophomore campaign.
As a junior, Hillmon posted 23.9 points per game (62.3 percent from the field) and 11.4 rebounds per game, as she led Michigan to their first Sweet 16. She was named an AP Second Team All-American. Leigha Brown, who transferred in from Nebraska was Naz’s co-star that year, averaging 18.2 points per contest. The team was just four points away from advancing to the Elite Eight, losing (as No. 6 seed) to No. 2-seed Baylor 78-75.
In 2022, the Wolverines were able to break through to the Elite Eight. Hillmon (21 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game) made the All-America First Team. Brown was good for 14 points per game, while Emily Kiser, Maddie Nolan and Laila Phelia all averaged at least eight points per game. Meanwhile, Danielle Rauch was second to Hillmon with 32.5 minutes per game, starting in all 32 contests.
Michigan’s stellar 2024 freshman class has scripted a second wave of success
In 2023, Hillmon had departed for the WNBA, but Brown was back for a fifth collegiate season and led Michigan with 17.5 points per game and 5.8 assists per game. Phelia, a No. 28 recruit, was able to take a sizable sophomore leap with 16.7 points per contest, while Kiser (15.9 points per game) rounded out the Wolverines who averaged double-figure scoring. The squad made it to the second round as a No. 6 seed.
The 2023-24 season was Phelia’s last with Michigan before transferring to Texas and eventually Syracuse. She registered 16.9 points per game, as the team took a step back, making the Big Dance as a No. 9 seed before losing in the first round.
Then came Olson, Delfosse, Swords and Holloway.
Bringing in Swords was a huge deal, as she was the No. 4 recruit in the country. Meanwhile, Olson was No. 20 and has become even better than Swords. As an unranked recruit, Holloway became the third of a Big 3, while Delfosse is looking to make it a Big 4 this season. The Wolverines made it to the second round with this core when they were freshmen in 2025.
Last year, the team began the season ranked at No. 13, but things would get even better. They blasted No. 18 Notre Dame, 93-54, on Nov. 15 and moved up to No. 6. Two games later, on Nov. 21, they gave No. 1 UConn a scare, losing by just three points. (This year’s win over the Huskies by 11 points served as revenge.)
Michigan remained in the top 10 for the rest of the season. Iowa was the thorn in their side, as they managed just 44 and 42 points, respectively, in their two showdowns with the Hawkeyes, losing by 18 and 17 points, respectively—their two lowest-scoring games and biggest defeats of the season before losing to Texas 77-41 in the tourney.
However, Iowa bowed out in the second round, while the Wolverines advanced to their second Elite Eight.
Now, Michigan could not be more hungrier for a natty.
In addition to losing to UConn by just three, the 2025-26 Wolverines only lost to eventual national champion UCLA by three and eventual No. 2-seed Vanderbilt by the same margin. Their losses to Iowa and Texas, plus an upset loss to eventual No. 6-seed Washington by 12 points, were outliers. This year, they hope to prove that they are truly worthy of their No. 2 ranking and capable of winning it all.
The Wolverines’ excellent start is raising expectations
In Michigan’s win over UConn last Thursday, Delfosse was phenomenal with 22 points, nine boards and two swipes. She shot 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from the field and 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) from downtown. Olson added 19 points, eight rebounds, four helpers and four steals.
Stanford transfer Courtney Ogden came off the bench to score 12 points, including connecting on her one 3-point attempt and shooting 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from the field overall. Swords, who is Michigan’s highest-volume 3-point shooter (460 attempts across 69 career games for an average of 6.7) went 3-for-8 from deep. Promisingly, Australian point guard Dallas Loughridge, who has already played professionally in the WNBL, notched nine dimes in Holloway’s absence.
It’s unlikely that these performances against the mighty Huskies were flukes.
The Wolverines have a lot to be excited about. There are reasons they made the Elite Eight last year. It’s because they’re loaded with talent and are well-coached by Kim Barnes Arico. It would not be surprising to see them take a step further by making their first Final Four, if not take three steps further and win it all.
Why a Michigan title would be a feel-good story
It would be a feel-good story if Michigan does win the natty. Barnes Arico has run her program the right way, and it says a lot about her that her players always carry themselves with class.
After Michigan was eliminated in the 2022 Elite Eight, Rauch took to the postgame press conference mic and spoke through tears about how grateful she was to even make it that far, saying:
I didn’t know if I was ever going to play a minute at Michigan, and I just played in the Elite Eight as the starting point guard for this university. So I think that’s something that’s gonna stick with me for a while.
And the support that I’ve had and playing next to Naz, an All-American. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player. I got to play with the greatest player in Michigan women’s basketball history, and she’s also my best friend.
So just thinking about the relationships that I’ve created and the blessings that I’ve had to even put on this Michigan uniform. And, like I said, we just played in the Elite Eight. Michigan women’s basketball history is not written that way, and we made it that way.
So I think leaving these four years and understanding the impact that our class had, I mean, I wouldn’t trade anything that I went through to get to this point.
Meanwhile, Hillmon demonstrated similar gratitude upon falling to the second round in the 2022 WNBA Draft:
Being disappointed in this moment is neglectful to the people who weren’t picked up at all. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time.
Hillmon has since displayed her work ethic by becoming a key contributor for the Atlanta Dream, including developing a 3-point shot, which is hard to do for any player who went through college without one.
Michigan may make the Final Four or win the title this year, and even if they don’t, Olson, Swords, Holloway and Delfosse have already taken the torch from Hillmon and continued to build the program up. Rauch is absolutely right that her class left a lasting impact.
