We’re excited to launch a weekly women’s basketball column from Megan Smith. After covering the team last year for the Michigan Daily, Megan will provide regular updates on Kim Barnes Arico’s squad throughout the season, recapping recent action and previewing upcoming matchups. The Wolverines are off to a blazing 9-1 start this season, with a key test in Charlotte this week.
If you haven’t been following the Michigan women’s basketball team (9-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) lately, now’s the time to tune in. You might recall their Elite Eight run in 2022, led by All-American forward Naz Hillmon and standout freshman Laila Phelia. With Hillmon now playing for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA and Phelia transferring to Texas before this season, only one player from that historic squad remains on the current roster.
After a first-round overtime loss to Kansas in last season’s NCAA Tournament, Michigan is eager for a reset.
Enter this season’s Wolverines: a young, fast-paced team ready to reclaim its place on the national stage.
Ranked No. 20 nationally, Michigan re-entered the AP Poll for the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season. The team opened its campaign with a narrow six-point loss to then-No. 1 South Carolina, followed by a nine-game winning streak.
With only one returning starter — senior guard Jordan Hobbs — and just four players back from last year’s roster, Michigan faced significant turnover. Losing Phelia, their all-around star, only added to the uncertainty. Preseason expectations were tempered, with many predicting lineup instability and growing pains in the competitive Big Ten.
However, the Wolverines have defied expectations, thanks largely to their best-ever freshman class, ranked 8th nationally.
“If you would have told me before the season that we’d be where we are now, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said after Saturday’s game. “That says a lot about our returning players and how they set the tone, but also about the immediate impact our newcomers have had — especially our freshmen starters.”
