A historic season for the Michigan women’s basketball team came to a close in Fort Worth, Texas, with a loss to No. 1 seed Texas in the Elite Eight. The 2025-26 season was remarkable for multiple reasons, both on and off the court.
The Wolverines made just their second Elite Eight in program history, hosted the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the second time and set the record for single-season wins with 28. In addition to the on-court achievements, Michigan honored Diane Dietz, Katelynn Flaherty and Naz Hillmon by hanging their jerseys in the rafters of Crisler Center.
The most exciting part about everything, the core of Michigan’s team — possible transfer portal movement aside — will remain intact for the next two seasons with sophomore guards Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway.
“The growth last year, we were extremely disappointed when we lost in the second round at Notre Dame, and this year we came back, and we made it to the Elite Eight,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “So these guys right now aren’t feeling really great, and they probably can’t see what they accomplished in this moment right now, but what they’ve been able to do this season and their development and their commitment and their chemistry, all of it, is really, really special.”
Although the season ended in disappointing fashion with a blowout loss to the Longhorns, the future of the program and the new foundation set by both the outgoing seniors and nucleus of sophomores can carry the program into the future.
ELITE EIGHT SPECIAL: 80% Off UM Hoops+
For this weekend only, you can get a year of UM Hoops+ for 80% off, just $20. Unlock access to all of our UM Hoops content, and new UM Hoops+ features like Film Room, Report Card, Live Four Factors Charts and much more.
Join the UM Hoops Community
Join the only community dedicated to Michigan basketball
Get ad-free articles, recruiting, advanced stats, member-only discussion, and the most complete Michigan hoops analysis anywhere.
Already a member? Log In
