Michigan
Washington
Michigan Heads to Big Ten Tournament as No. 5 Seed
3/4/2025 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team (20-9) finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten and earned the No. 5 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament (March 6-9) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Michigan received a first-round bye and will face either Minnesota or Washington in the second round on Thursday (March 6) at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Notes
• Michigan finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten with Michigan State and Illinois with an 11-7 record. Michigan came out on top in multiple tiebreak scenarios, grabbing the No. 5 seed. Michigan has won at least nine games in Big Ten play in each of the last 10 seasons. It marked the seventh time in program history that the Wolverines won at least 11 conference contests.
• U-M reached the semifinals of last year's Big Ten Tournament, picking up wins over Minnesota and Indiana. It marked Michigan's first semifinal appearance since making back-to-back semis in 2019 and 2020.
• Michigan will face the winner of the first-round contest between Minnesota (20-10) and Washington (18-12). Michigan recorded a 70-65 win at Minnesota on Jan. 22 and picked up an 82-69 win over the Huskies at home on Jan. 15. U-M is 2-0 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament against the Golden Gophers after recording an 82-67 victory last season.
• Michigan picked up its 20th win of the season last time out, rallying for a nine-point win at Illinois (March 2). U-M has reached 20 wins in all but one season under Kim Barnes Arico, with the exception coming during the 2020-21 season when Michigan played just 22 games during the COVID-19 pandemic. U-M now has 16 20-win seasons in program history, with 12 coming under KBA.
• Olivia Olson was named the Co-Freshman of the Year and was joined on the All-Big Ten second team by Syla Swords to highlight Michigan's postseason honors announced by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday afternoon (March 4). Olson shares the Freshman of the Year honor by the coaches with Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge. Swords and Olson were each named to the All-Big Ten second team and all-freshman team by both the coaches and the media. Jordan Hobbs was an honorable mention by both the coaches and media, with Mila Holloway earning honorable mention by the media.
• There are just eight freshmen across the Power Four conferences who have played at least 830 minutes this season, with Michigan's trio of freshman starters among them. Olson (866, 29.9 mpg), Swords (890, 31.8 mpg) and Holloway (833, 28.7 mpg) are playing heavy minutes for the Wolverines. There is only one other team in the top 30 of the NET playing a freshman this much -- Mikalya Blakes at Vanderbilt.
• U-M comes in at No. 27 in the latest NET rankings as one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 30.
• Other teams in Michigan's half of the bracket are Maryland, USC, Indiana and Oregon.
