LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From the tip, the game followed a frenetic pace. Egged on by a sea of red, the top-seeded Cardinals jumped out to a quick start.
Connor Brennan
Daily Sports Writer
Women's Basketball
Those plays may not have resulted in anything other a few extra bruises for Munger but they did set the tone early for the Michigan women’s basketball team in its dominant performance against the Wildcats.
In the Michigan women’s basketball team’s (22-11) 84-54 win over Kansas State, that statement couldn’t have been more true, as it used two lengthy scoring spurts and stingy defense to defeat the Wildcats (21-12) and set up a date with top-seeded Lousiville on Sunday.
But now in her seventh season at the helm of the Michigan women’s basketball team (21-11 overall, 11-7 Big Ten), Barnes Arico can contextualize Auriemma’s sentiment. On Monday, the Wolverines got a tournament bid for the second straight year — but it hasn’t always been that way.
As the No. 8 seed in the Albany Region, Michigan will face Kansas State in the Round of 64. The two teams will meet on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Michigan women’s basketball coach applauded the Wolverines’ effort and execution throughout the press conference, but when asked specifically about the development of freshman point guard Amy Dilk, she took her praise to another level.
Guided by their star co-captain seniors, guard Nicole Munger and center Hallie Thome, and a pair of standout freshmen in guard Amy Dilk and forward Naz Hillmon the Wolverines are now on the cusp of their second-straight NCAA Tournament berth.
The Daily breaks down the seasons these four players put together.
The Michigan women’s basketball players walked off the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis with their heads down. Following a heart-wrenching 73-72 defeat to top-seeded Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, it was hard for players and coaches to remember that the game was by no means the end of their season.
In their last time playing at Crisler Center, senior guard Nicole Munger and senior center Hallie Thome made a statement from the start for the Michigan women’s basketball team (11-7 Big Ten, 20-10 overall) in an eventual 59-49 win over Wisconsin.
“One of Dad’s friends called me after my commitment and basically said, ‘You’re a Spartan!’ ” Robbins recalls. “He assumed because he heard Michigan that I was going to MSU. Until he realized I was playing in the maize and blue, then he finally called my dad and was so confused. But he was happy for me.”
While Kevin’s friend took some time to adjust to Kayla representing the Wolverines on the court, Kevin quickly jumped on the bandwagon.