Michigan
Oklahoma
Wolverines Set for Charlotte for Jumpman Invitational
12/15/2024 4:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team (9-1) will head to Charlotte for the Jumpman Invitational, facing No. 10-ranked Oklahoma on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) at the Spectrum Center. The game is set for 9:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.
Notes
• Michigan is playing in the third Jumpman Invitational, heading to North Carolina to play at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. U-M is joined by fellow Jumpman schools -- North Carolina, Florida and Oklahoma at the event. Michigan and Oklahoma are squaring off, with Florida and North Carolina facing each other on both the men's and women's sides. The Wolverines are 1-1 at the event, getting a win over North Carolina in 2022 before falling to Florida last season.
• The game marks a homecoming for Mila Holloway, who is from Charlotte. It is the only time this season Michigan will play in the state of North Carolina. She is the first Wolverine to play a "home game" this season.
• Michigan has won nine straight games for the first time since winning nine straight to open the 2022-23 season (Nov. 9-Dec. 4). Over the stretch, Michigan has been scoring 87.1 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting. The defense has been just as impressive, holding opponents to 53.0 points per game on 35.1 percent shooting. The nine straight wins are tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in program history. Michigan has won 10 straight games three different times, the most recent coming to start the 2020-21 season. Two of Michigan's three 10-game winning streaks have come under the guidance of Kim Barnes Arico.
• The Jumpman Invitational contest against No. 10 Oklahoma kicks off a daunting stretch for the Wolverines. Four of Michigan's next five opponents are currently ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 5 USC, No. 1 UCLA and No. 11 Ohio State.
• Michigan is facing its second ranked opponent of the season after opening up with a six-point loss to then-No. 1 South Carolina. U-M has 28 wins over ranked opponents under Barnes Arico, which accounts for 52.8 percent of U-M's 53 all-time wins. Michigan has recorded at least one win over a ranked team in each of KBA's first 12 seasons in Ann Arbor.
• This is just the third meeting all-time between Michigan and Oklahoma. The last meeting was in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, an 88-67 win for the Sooners in Norman. Interestingly enough, Barnes Arico's St. John's team was also at that NCAA regional site. The Red Storm picked up wins over Creighton and Oklahoma to advance to the Sweet 16 that season. KBA was named the Michigan head coach the following month.
• Michigan's trio of freshman starters -- Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Holloway -- are each averaging double figures in scoring. U-M is the only school in the Big Ten with multiple first-year players averaging at least 10 points per game. Olson (16.9 ppg) is second among the conference's freshmen, with Swords (16.6 ppg) ranking third and Holloway (10.0 ppg) seventh.
• U-M has stuck with a five-guard starting lineup over the first 10 contests, going with Holloway, Swords, Olson, Greta Kampschroeder and Jordan Hobbs to start the game. U-M is still getting it done on the glass, grabbing 44.5 rebounds per game while giving up just 29.7 per game. Michigan is third in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +14.8. Michigan has outrebounded its opponent in nine games and tied South Carolina on the glass in the season opener -- as U-M has yet to be outrebounded by an opponent this season.
• Michigan plays its first true road game next time out, heading to Akron to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule against the Zips on Dec. 20.
