Dominant nonconference run has Michigan ready for Big Ten play

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To a certain extent, the No. 6 Michigan women’s basketball team has been the same through its first 11 games. Although the Wolverines have tested out different starting lineups and rotations, they always seem to produce the same result — winning.

Michigan has lost only one game this season, and it was to the best team in the country at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase against No. 1 UConn. Trailing by 18 at half, the Wolverines came alive in the third quarter with an 18-4 differential in that period alone. They came up just short, but a 29-point showing from sophomore guard Syla Swords and an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double from sophomore guard Olivia Olson highlighted how impactful the two have been thus far.

Through 11 games, the Wolverines hold a 39-point scoring margin and have held their opponents to just 33.1% shooting from the field. Michigan has also reached triple figures in four games, proving just how dominant the team has been on both ends of the court.

“In the UConn game, we had some times where we were uncomfortable, and I think that’s a really good opportunity to understand what we need to work on,” senior forward Alyssa Crockett said Sunday after the Wolverines took care of business against Oakland, 97-54. “Going into the Big Ten and rolling into Washington and Oregon, it’s just opportunities stacked on each other.”

The Wolverines are ranked 8th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 5th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik. Similar to the men’s team, they are dominating games inside out, out-shooting opponents 57.2% (10th) to 36.7% (13th) inside the arc.

With the nonconference season going almost as well as it could have, the Wolverines have set a strong foundation heading into conference play. And with nine Big Ten teams currently ranked, that foundation will pay dividends in the bigger competition to come.