Like the worst of nightmares, last season’s collapse continues to haunt the Wolverines.

The 2008-09 Wolverines, with four of their senior starters coming off the program’s first postseason action in six years, had high expectations.

The team went 7-4 in nonconference play, including wins over two top-15 opponents.

But upon entering Big Ten play, the Wolverines teetered, tallying a respectable 2-2 record early in the conference season before crashing. They lost 14 of their last 15 games.

This year, with a host of fresh faces and a new attitude, Michigan (2-4 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) is trying to avoid following that same script.

The Wolverines won nine of their first 11 games, including a signature victory at then No. 8 Xavier. And now, after starting 2-3 in the Big Ten, Michigan hopes its 20-point loss on the road to the Badgers won’t serve as the catalyst for another disastrous conference campaign.

But this year is nothing like last year. And the numbers support that. Well, sort of.

Even after Sunday’s 48-point effort in Madison, the Wolverines are averaging about 5 points per game more in the Big Ten than they did a year ago. It was the first time this season Michigan scored fewer than 50 points. Last season, Michigan scored 50 points or fewer ten times, including four times through the first 16 games.

The scoring output has increased significantly largely due to the continued development of junior guard Veronica Hicks and the on-court energy of freshman guard Dayeesha Hollins.

“I think Hollins makes them a lot better,” Northwestern coach Joe McKeown said after a win against the Wildcats at Crisler Arena. “Her and Hicks really create some havoc, both defensively and offensively. They can both penetrate and attack … They’re a lot more solid as a team. They seem to play better together this year.”

This team certainly has the ability to score points. But as one might expect with a young squad, the Wolverines consistency could be better.

These inconsistencies, inexcusable for last year's veteran team, are simply part of the learning process for a team that won at then-ranked No. 8 Xavier one week, but got pounded by Wisconsin and Northwestern soon after.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of change is how the Wolverines have managed against the best in the conference, even in defeat.

A year ago, Michigan averaged fewer than 40 points a game against Ohio State and Michigan State, including a 27-point game at the Breslin Center. This year, the Wolverines scored 71 against the Spartans and 56 against the Buckeyes and lost by just three points in Columbus.

Michigan’s name won’t be flaunted regularly as a conference contender until the team prove itself regularly against top-tier Big Ten competition.

That said, the team is certainly making strides.

But even with an improved offensive attack, the influx of new talent and the maturation of some established players, the Wolverines still face the challenge of overcoming a treacherous past.

And results will always speak louder than excuses, however plausible or relevant they are.

“We want to think about last year because it’s something we don’t want to repeat,” Hicks said after Michigan's loss to the Wildcats. “Saying that it didn’t happen would be a lie, and we don’t want to lie to ourselves.”