Now it’s official.

The Michigan women’s basketball team has turned “here we go again” into a promising outlook for the future. And not just in the distant future, but for the remainder of the Big Ten schedule.

Not only do the Wolverines look different and feel different from last year's Michigan squad, but they’re proving it as well — with Big Ten victories.

Michigan (3-6 Big Ten, 11-6 overall) has already surpassed last season’s overall win total by a game and matched their conference wins from last year.

It may not sound like a lot — last year’s team won just 10 games, including three in conference. But for a team that was beginning to feel the heat after losing six of its last seven conference games, a confidence-boosting win may be invaluable.

“It just gets more frustrating as we go along,” freshman guard Dayeesha Hollins said following Thursday’s loss to then-No. 5 Ohio State. “We fight so hard to win games, and it just gets frustrating when we come up short every time.”

It would have been reasonable to expect a glimmer of optimism following a narrow two-point loss to the Buckeyes, who have dominated the conference the past two years. But even moral victories can’t alter a peculiar feeling the Wolverines have endured.

As the Big Ten losses have piled up, so too has the pressure.

And this burden, one they were all too familiar with last season, wasn’t going away without a fight.

Because of this, Sunday’s 70-56 victory over Indiana serves not only as a critical third win in the Big Ten, but also demonstrates Michigan’s ability to forget recent history. In essence, the win is one big sigh of relief.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” sophomore forward Carmen Reynolds said after Sunday’s game. “Words cannot even describe that we are back on a winning streak.”

Now the Wolverines can play their style — fast, loose and maybe even a bit reckless.

Hollins epitomizes that style of play perfectly for the Wolverines. Whether she’s penetrating into the lane, pushing a one-man fast break or throwing up a reverse layup over defenders easily a foot taller than her, the freshman isn’t afraid to push the tempo.

Against Indiana, Hollins was forced to sit out most of the first half with two quick fouls. Without its point guard, Michigan struggled offensively, scoring just 22 points and turning the ball over an abysmal 15 times.

But when Hollins returned in the second half, the team's production rose along with the tempo of the game.

At one point, Hollins caught an in-bound pass from freshman Jenny Ryan in midair and alley-ooped it off the glass for a score. The play, uncharacteristic of a 5-foot-6 guard, serves as a perfect symbol for Hollins' fast, loose and somewhat reckless style of play.

The ups that Hollins effortlessly displayed to finish the alley-oop have become more run-of-the-mill for the Wolverines' shortest player than out of the ordinary.

It was as if the pressure of winning in the Big Ten had been lifted off her shoulders.