The Michigan Wolverines ladies’s basketball staff has had a scorching begin to their season. Now at 4-0 after beating Birmingham 120-50 at house on Tuesday night time, they burst onto the top-10 on the Related Press (AP) ballot this week. It’s their second-highest rating in program historical past, and the primary time they’ve been ranked this excessive since they had been No. 6 in February of 2022.
And with their core consisting of a trio of sophomore expertise, all of whom have improved from their freshman season, Michigan might have to get used to its top-10 rating for the following few seasons.
Specializing in this season, AP voters are clearly seeing the enhancements Michigan has made. The staff began the season ranked thirteenth within the nation, had been bumped down one spot in week two, however made the most important soar in week three, going from 14th to sixth. This got here off a dominant 93-54 win over No. 24 Notre Dame final weekend, after Michigan gained their first two video games towards Canisius and Harvard.
This staff has large potential to be the reason for a late-season upset, and ought to be on the radar of anybody following potential Massive-10 match favorites or NCAA match darkish horses. This isn’t only a scorching streak — it’s the results of meticulous staff constructing, glorious recruiting, and a bunch of hard-working gamers with loads of expertise.
Tremendous Sophomores Olson and Swords
ESPN ranked Michigan’s 2024-25 freshman class the No. 8 finest recruiting class that yr. With No. 4 Syla Swords’s dedication, she turned this system’s highest-ranked prospect in historical past, and Michigan adopted that up by touchdown No. 20 Olivia Olson. In addition they introduced in four-star prospect Mila Holloway, and the trio created a point-guard/shooting-guard/ahead lineup that has turned out extraordinarily properly for the Wolverines.
As a sophomore, Swords already has extra worldwide basketball expertise than loads of her friends. As a highschool senior, Swords performed in Olympic qualifying tournaments for Group Canada, finally making their roster for the Paris video games in 2024. She turned the youngest particular person to ever signify Canada in basketball on the Olympics, and headed into her freshman NCAA season already an Olympian. In between her freshman and sophomore seasons, Swords spent the summer time again with the Canadian program beneath newly minted head coach Nell Fortner. She performed important minutes in each the Ladies’s AmeriCup match and the U19 World Cup, however sat out of Canada’s U23 GLOBL JAM match after a busy offseason.
Swords averaged 9.6 factors, 4.9 rebounds, and a pair of.6 assists on the AmeriCup, capturing 41.9% from three-point vary over the match — serving to Canada to a Bronze medal end. A couple of weeks later on the U19 World Cup, she averaged 15.9 factors, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per sport, capturing 43.6% from distance — the Canadian staff lacking the rostrum in a two-point loss to Spain, coming 4th within the World.
Olivia Olson completely shone in her freshman season for the Wolverines. She averaged 16.3 factors, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per sport, capturing 46.6% from the sector and 38.3% from three-point vary. These numbers earned her the Co-Massive Ten Freshman of the 12 months award, and together with Swords, she was chosen for the All-Massive Ten Second Group and Massive Ten All-Freshman staff.
She’s already leveled up in yr two as properly, main Michigan in all 4 video games. She is averaging 17.8 factors per sport this season, at the same time as she hasn’t needed to play heavy minutes. Her 16.3 factors per sport final yr had been in 30.8 minutes per sport, and this yr she has solely performed 22 minutes per sport. Swords is averaging 12.3 factors per sport this season, capturing 47.6% from the sector.
An enormous check forward in Connecticut
Michigan is getting loads of alternative to gauge its true potential throughout its non-conference schedule, which is able to come in useful when dealing with Massive-10 opponents quickly. The Wolverines’ greatest check of your entire season is coming early, as they put together to face No. 1 UConn on their house court docket in Connecticut this weekend.
UConn has two of the most effective gamers within the nation, fellow sophomore Sarah Sturdy and redshirt senior Azzi Fudd, main their seemingly unstoppable staff. If Michigan could make an impression on this powerhouse staff, will probably be an enormous confidence booster for the Wolverines, as even simply competing with UConn is an indication of formidability in ladies’s faculty basketball. On the flip facet, Michigan may be the most important problem UConn has seen this season thus far. They may additionally find yourself being one among their greatest challenges of the yr.
Olson must discover a technique to get previous Sturdy, who’s averaging 3.3 steals and a pair of.5 blocks per contest in 4 video games thus far this season. Sturdy is sweet sufficient to be on a WNBA staff proper now, at the same time as a university sophomore, and with the ability to rating despite her will likely be Olson’s greatest process.
For Swords, outshooting Fudd is the aim. In Michigan’s sport towards Notre Dame, Swords took three fast pictures from lengthy distance within the first half, however wasn’t making them within the second half. She’s been slowly rising her output as she’s performed extra video games to begin the season, and bringing herself as much as the numbers she was capturing in the summertime for Canada will convey her nearer to Fudd’s present 46.2% capturing from behind the arc this season.
Whereas this sport dangers Michigan’s undefeated streak, dealing with a staff like UConn early within the season will make the Wolverines harder. They’ll have movie towards the most effective staff within the nation to reference when getting ready to face Massive-10 rivals like UCLA and USC. Most significantly, figuring out the hard-working nature of this Michigan staff, together with their willingness to be taught and get higher after onerous video games, this UConn match will make them higher.
It might all culminate within the Wolverines changing into a significant March darkish horse.