‘It’s why we came here’: Michigan finally breaks through against No. 2 UConn

Michigan is no stranger to scheduling difficult opponents to open up its season. Over the past three seasons, the Wolverines have taken on some of the nation’s toughest competition in their non-conference slate. While they came up short in the first two battles, Thursday’s win over UConn was a cathartic course-correction and showed Michigan truly belongs in the conversation with the nation’s elite.

“I just think it was a tremendous win for our program,” Kim Barnes Arico said. “Obviously, it’s super early in the season, so it’s not as if we won the national championship. But we had one of the best teams in college basketball come to Ann Arbor, and we were able to get that victory.”

Two years ago, the Wolverines opened the regular season against then-No. 1 South Carolina. With a starting lineup made up mostly of freshmen, Michigan held tight with the Gamecocks—even taking a lead into halftime. While the Wolverines eventually lost, 68-62, the message was sent.

One year later, Michigan tested itself again in an early-season contest against then-No. 1 UConn. After going up 23-4 in the first quarter, it looked like the Huskies had the game put away. But after halftime, the Wolverines punched back. Powered by a 3-point explosion from Syla Swords, Michigan had the ability to tie the game on the final possession, but fell short in the final seconds.

Against UConn on Thursday, however, the Wolverines flipped the script. Taking a lead into halftime and closing out the game with a 77-66 victory, Michigan finally got over the hump in one of its high-profile non-conference showcases.

“It’s why we came here,” Te’Yala Delfosse said of playing elite competition. “We had belief in the program, and we wanted to help build it to take it places it hasn’t been. And it’s a credit to the people who came before us, who we committed to play because we watched them. And I just think it’s the overall culture of hard work and consistency every day.”

Olivia Olson said it more simply:

“We were bound to get one,” Olson said with a chuckle.