Michigan advanced to the WNIT semifinals for the second straight year after a down-to-the-wire battle with Temple.
The Owls won in Philadelphia on Thursday night, beating Ohio, 75-61. The turnaround pairs them up with the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Monday.
It has been a while since the Wolverines looked this good, but it has also been a while since they’ve played a team that knew this little about them.
The Wolverines’ NCAA Tournament hopes were stifled again this year, leaving them to play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the third straight year.
The team has put together a strong enough season to earn a high seed in the WNIT, which potentially would allow them to host a handful of games.
The Wolverines trailed by just eight going into the fourth quarter, but 35-percent shooting in the last 10 minutes prevented them from crawling back.
The Wolverines, the No. 8 seed in the bracket, begin tournament play against No. 9 seed Iowa on Thursday.
A date with Maryland, the Big Ten regular-season champion and No. 5 team in the country, awaits the unlucky winner on Friday.
After a bumpy start to the conference schedule, the Wolverines have won four of their last five games.
The Michigan women’s basketball team has three games left to solidify a spot in the Big Ten’s top 10, and it starts Saturday when they host Penn State.