No. 16 Michigan Heads to No. 15 Northwestern for Ranked Showdown

Sunday, January 3

Evanston, Ill.

4:00 PM CT

Michigan

Northwestern

(Michigan Photography)

No. 16 Michigan Heads to No. 15 Northwestern for Ranked Showdown

1/1/2021 4:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Sarah VanMetre

» Michigan will open the 2021 calendar year with an appearance on ESPN2 as the No. 16-ranked Wolverines face No. 15 Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.
» Juniors Naz Hillmon (24.3 ppg) and Leigha Brown (19.3 ppg) are the second-highest-scoring duo in the Big Ten. U-M is one of three schools (Iowa, Maryland) to have two players in the top 10 of the conference in scoring.
» The average margin of victory between Michigan and Northwestern over the last four games is 5.8 points. Each of the last four games between the two schools has been decided by eight points or less.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team (6-0, 1-0 B1G) hits the road for its first ranked opponent of the season, heading to Evanston, Ill., to face No. 15 Northwestern at 4 p.m. CST Sunday (Jan. 3) on ESPN2. It is the first of two contests between the teams this season, with the Wildcats due in Ann Arbor to end the season either March 5 or 6.

Hail From Home

Game days may look different this season, but the tradition of cheering on Michigan women's basketball continues. Hail From Home is our way to virtually bring the excitement of game day to fans. Throughout the season, fans can look forward to a variety of digital engagements including a game day check-in with monthly prizes, fan cutouts at Crisler Center, game day playlists, Crisler scoreboard messages, special theme games, and more. » Hail From Home

Wolverine Notes

• No. 16 Michigan and No. 15 Northwestern will each meet their first ranked opponent of the season in Sunday's (Jan. 3) contest. Michigan had a pair of wins over ranked teams last season, knocking off No. 18 Iowa at Crisler Center (78-63, Feb. 2) and pulling out a 67-59 victory over No. 11 Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament (March 6). U-M is 1-6 all-time against the No. 15-ranked team in the AP poll, with its win coming against No. 15 Northwestern on Feb. 18, 1990.

• Michigan has 11 wins against ranked opponents since head coach Kim Barnes Arico took over in Ann Arbor before the 2012-13 season. Her 11 wins account for 30.5 percent of Michigan's all-time wins (36) over top-25 teams.

• Michigan and Northwestern are scheduled for a home-and-home series this season after facing off three times last year. The Wildcats took the regular-season series with an 81-73 win in Evanston and a 66-60 win in Ann Arbor. Michigan took the third game of the year with a 67-59 win in the Big Ten Tournament. The last four games between the two teams have each been decided by single digits, with U-M taking a 79-78 overtime win during the 2018-19 season. The average margin of victory over the last four games is 5.8 points.

• Sunday's (Jan. 3) game will feature both the coaches and the media picks for preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Michigan junior Naz Hillmon was named the preseason co-Player of the Year by the coaches, along with Arella Guirantes (Rutgers), with Northwestern's Lindsey Pulliam earning the nod from the media in the preseason voting.

• No. 15 Northwestern (4-1, 2-1 B1G) is coming off a buzzer-beating loss at Nebraska (65-63) on Thursday (Dec. 31). NU is averaging 77.0 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting while allowing just 55.4 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting. The Wildcats are forcing 25.8 turnovers per contest, averaging 14.8 steals per game. Northwestern has three players scoring in double figures in Veronica Burton (20.0 ppg), Lindsey Pulliam (15.0 ppg) and Sydney Wood (13.8 ppg). NU leads the all-time series, 40-37.

• The game marks the return of freshman Cameron Williams to her hometown of Chicago. Williams was a five-star recruit out of the Windy City, playing high school basketball at Whitney Young. In addition, her sister Danyelle is a senior on the Northwestern volleyball team.

• Through six games, Michigan is averaging 88.5 points per game (10th nationally) on 52.8 percent shooting (third nationally). In its season opener, U-M shot 61.7 percent from the floor -- its highest shooting percentage since making 66.0 percent from the floor against Wake Forest on Dec. 1, 2010. Michigan last topped 60 percent from the floor on Dec. 21, 2017, hitting 61.4 percent against Delaware State. Michigan's 61.7 percent showing is the highest mark by the Wolverines under ninth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico. Michigan is 73-6 in nine seasons under KBA when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. U-M has topped the 50 percent mark four times this season, going 4-0 in those contests.