Michigan Wolverines women's basketball

Michigan Wolverines women's basketball
2024–25 Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team
University	University of Michigan
First season	1973–74
All-time record	711–747 (.488)
Head coach	Kim Barnes Arico (13th season)
Conference	Big Ten
Location	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Arena	Crisler Center (capacity: 12,707)
Nickname	Wolverines
Student section	Maize Rage
Colors	Maize and blue [1]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2022
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2021, 2022
NCAA tournament second round
1990, 2001, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

The Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team is the intercollegiate women's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Wolverines play home basketball games at the Crisler Center on the university campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

History

See also: List of Michigan Wolverines women's basketball seasons

Michigan began playing intercollegiate women's basketball in 1973–74, when inaugural head coach Vic Katch led the team to a 3–8 record (0–1 against Big Ten teams). ^[2] There was no form of conference competition for the Wolverines until the 1976–77 season, and even then it was not officially sanctioned by the Big Ten until 1982–83. ^[2] Michigan did not qualify for postseason play until earning an NCAA tournament bid in 1990 under head coach Bud VanDeWege, which would remain its only tournament appearance until Sue Guevara led the Wolverines to five straight postseason appearances (in both the NCAA and WNIT tournaments) between 1998 and 2002. ^[2]

The team's best postseason performance in the NCAA Tournament is advancing to the Elite Eight, which it achieved for the first time in 2022. The Wolverines won the WNIT tournament in 2017, and have also reached the WNIT semifinals twice: in 2010 and 2015. ^[2] Michigan has never won a Big Ten championship, either in the regular season or in the conference tournament. The closest it has come is 2nd in the regular season and tied for 3rd in the tournament, both accomplished during Guevara's tenure. ^[2] Guevara was the most accomplished coach in the history of the program, leading all coaches in both wins and winning percentage for conference and overall games alike. ^[3]

Since 2012, Michigan is coached by Kim Barnes Arico, the former St. John's Red Storm head coach and two-time Big East Coach of the Year. ^[4] During a February 2017 game against Michigan State, the Wolverines set an attendance record of 12,707 in the first home sellout in program history, which more than doubled the previous record of 5,991. ^[5] The second-largest home crowd (8,313) attended a January 2018 game against Ohio State. ^[6] Later that same week, during the January 13th game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Katelynn Flaherty scored her 2,443rd point, surpassing Glen Rice as the school's all-time leading scorer, man or woman. ^[7] Flaherty would finish her career with a school-record 2,776 points. ^[8]

During the 2017–18 season, Barnes Arico became the winningest coach in program history. On July 12, 2018, Barnes Arico signed a contract extension with the Wolverines through the 2022–23 season. ^[9]

During the 2021–22 season, Michigan reached their highest ranking ever in the AP Poll at No. 4. ^{[10] [11]} On December 19, 2021, Michigan earned the program's first ever win over a top-five ranked team when they defeated No. 5 Baylor 74–68 in overtime. ^[12] On January 31, 2022, Michigan earned their second ever win over a top-five ranked team when they defeated No. 5 Indiana 65–50. ^[13]

Coaching staff

As of 2023–24 season.

Name	Position coached	Consecutive seasons at Michigan in current position
Kim Barnes Arico	Head coach	12th
Harry Rafferty	Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator	3rd
Melanie Moore	Assistant coach	1st
Jillian Dunston	Assistant coach	1st
Amy Mulligan	Director of operations	12th
Reference: [14]

Head coaching records

Kim Barnes Arico, the current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team.

Head coach	Years	Seasons	Overall	Pct.	Conf.	Pct.	NCAA Berths
Vic Katch	1973–74	1	3–8	.273	0–1	.000	–
Carmel Borders	1974–77	3	23–28	.451	4–8	.333	–
Gloria Soluk	1977–84	7	66–120	.355	22–61	.265	0
Bud VanDeWege	1984–92	8	93–132	.413	41–103	.285	1
Trish Roberts	1992–96	4	20–88	.185	5–63	.074	0
Sue Guevara	1996–2003	7	123–82	.600	57–55	.509	3
Cheryl Burnett	2003–07	4	35–83	.297	10–54	.156	0
Kevin Borseth	2007–12	5	87–73	.544	38–48	.442	1
Kim Barnes Arico	2012–present	11	241–119	.669	109–75	.592	6
Totals		50	691–733	.485	286–468	.379	11

Head coaching records through the end of the 2022-23 season ^[3]

Arena

Crisler Center, as seen from above.

Main article: Crisler Center

Michigan has played its home games at Crisler Center (previously known as Crisler Arena) since it began intercollegiate play during the 1973–74 season. ^[15] The first women's basketball game played at Crisler took place on February 4, 1974 and saw the Western Michigan Broncos defeat Michigan 54–28. ^[15] Crisler Arena was built in 1967 at a cost of $7.2 million, and has undergone three major renovations since, in 1998, 2001, and 2012. ^[15] In 2002, the women's locker room was more than doubled in size and given a complete facelift. ^[15] The 2012 renovation saw the addition of the William Davidson Player Development Center (WDPDC), a 57,000-foot basketball facility for both the women's and men's teams adjacent to the arena proper, and the renaming of the entire complex to Crisler Center. ^[15] The first floor of the WDPDC houses two basketball practice courts, team locker rooms for both players and coaches, athletic medicine facilities, and an equipment room, while the second floor is home to offices for both the men's and women's coaching staffs and administrative functions, as well as rooms dedicated to recruiting, analyzing game film, and strength and conditioning. ^[15] The 2012 renovation also resulted in major upgrades to the arena's infrastructure, a new scoreboard, replacement of all the seats in both the upper and lower bowls, more handicap-accessible seating, and major improvements to the arena's entrances and concourses. ^[15] Completed in two separate phases, it cost $72 million in total. ^[15]

Honored players and coaches

Katelynn Flaherty, the all-time leading scorer in men's and women's Michigan basketball history.

Naz Hillmon, 2021 Big Ten Player of the Year and Michigan women's basketball's all-time leading rebounder.

Women's National Invitation Tournament MVP

• 2017 – Katelynn Flaherty

Big Ten Player of the Year

• 2021 – Naz Hillmon

Big Ten Freshman of the Year

• 1997 – Stacey Thomas
• 2019 – Naz Hillmon

Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

• 2000 – Stacey Thomas

Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year

• 2015 – Katelynn Flaherty
• 2019 – Naz Hillmon

All-Americans

• 2021 – Naz Hillmon (USBWA, WBCA)
• 2022 – Naz Hillmon (AP, USBWA, WBCA)

Big Ten Coach of the Year

• 1990 – Bud VanDeWege
• 1998 – Sue Guevara
• 2000 – Sue Guevara
• 2017 – Kim Barnes Arico
• 2022 – Kim Barnes Arico

WNBA Draft history

Year	Rnd	Pick	Overall	Player name	Position	WNBA team	Notes
1998	3	7	27	Pollyanna Johns	C	Charlotte Sting
2000	2	7	23	Stacey Thomas	F	Portland Fire
2001	4	10	58	Anne Thorius	G	Orlando Miracle
2002	3	12	44	Alayne Ingram	G	Sacramento Monarchs
2004	3	6	32	Jennifer Smith	C	Detroit Shock
2005	2	10	23	Tabitha Pool	F	New York Liberty
2022	2	3	15	Naz Hillmon	C	Atlanta Dream
2023	2	3	15	Leigha Brown	G	Atlanta Dream

Statistical leaders

Main article: Michigan Wolverines women's basketball statistical leaders

All-time leaders

• Points: Katelynn Flaherty (2,776)
• Rebounds: Naz Hillmon (1,063)
• Assists: Siera Thompson (553)
• Steals: Stacey Thomas (372)
• Blocks: Trish Andrew (367)

Season leaders

• Points: Katelynn Flaherty (774, 2016)
• Rebounds: Cyesha Goree (367, 2015)
• Assists: Siera Thompson (178, 2017)
• Steals: Stacey Thomas (110, 1999)
• Blocks: Trish Andrew (136, 1992)

NCAA tournament results

Michigan has appeared in twelve NCAA Tournaments, with a combined record of 11–12.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1990	#10	First Round Second Round	#7 Oklahoma State #2 NC State	W 77–68 L 64−81
1998	#10	First Round	#7 UCLA	L 58−65
2000	#8	First Round	#9 Stanford	L 74−81OT
2001	#8	First Round Second Round	#9 Virginia #1 Notre Dame	W 81–71 L 54−88
2012	#11	First Round	#6 Oklahoma	L 67−88
2013	#8	First Round Second Round	#9 Villanova #1 Stanford	W 60–52 L 40−73
2018	#7	First Round Second Round	#10 Northern Colorado #2 Baylor	W 75–61 L 58−80
2019	#8	First Round Second Round	#9 Kansas State #1 Louisville	W 84–54 L 50−71
2021	#6	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#11 Florida Gulf Coast #3 Tennessee #2 Baylor	W 87–66 W 70–55 L 75–78OT
2022	#3	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#14 American #11 Villanova #10 South Dakota #1 Louisville	W 74–39 W 64–49 W 52–49 L 50–62
2023	#6	First Round Second Round	#11 UNLV #3 LSU	W 71–59 L 42–66
2024	#9	First Round	#8 Kansas	L 72−81OT

Rivalries

• Michigan–Michigan State women's basketball rivalry
• Michigan–Ohio State women's basketball rivalry

References

1. "University of Michigan Style Guide: Colors". July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
2. "Michigan Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved 29 March 2022.
3. "Michigan Women's Basketball Head Coaching Records". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
4. "Kim Barnes Arico". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved 6 March 2013.
5. "Record Home Crowd Sees Wolverines Fall to Spartans". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. February 19, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
6. VanMetre, Sarah (January 7, 2018). "Wolverines Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to No. 10 Ohio State". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved January 22, 2018.
7. VanMetre, Sarah (13 January 2018). "Wolverines Pull Out Overtime Win at Nebraska". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved 4 February 2022.
8. "2017-18 Women's Basketball Roster: Katelynn Flaherty". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
9. VanMetre, Sarah (July 12, 2018). "Barnes Arico Signs Contract Extension Through 2022-23 Season". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 12, 2018.
10. Kahn, Andrew (February 7, 2022). "Michigan women continue record climb, reach No. 4 in AP poll". MLive.com . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
11. Paul, Tony (February 7, 2022). "With another top-25 win, Michigan women's basketball again makes history in AP rankings". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
12. VanMetre, Sarah (December 19, 2021). "U-M Takes Down Baylor in OT to Earn Program's First Win Over Top-Five Team". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 19, 2021.
13. VanMetre, Sarah (January 31, 2022). "Michigan Grinds Out Top-Five Win Over Indiana". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
14. "Michigan Women's Basketball Coaches". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
15. "Crisler Center". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved 6 March 2013.
16. "2017-18 Women's Basketball Roster: Katelynn Flaherty". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
17. "2020-21 Big Ten Women's Basketball Honors Announced". BigTen.org. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
18. VanMetre, Sarah (January 27, 2022). "Wolverines Sweep Ohio State with Dominant Road Win". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan . Retrieved 4 February 2022.

External links

Media related to Michigan Wolverines women's basketball at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website