January, February, Michigan, April. It’s officially the best time of the year as Michigan women’s basketball heads to the annual March Madness in the NCAA Tournament. Following a cold streak to end the season this year, going 2-4 in their final six games, the Wolverines enter the tournament as a 6-seed.

In their first game, Michigan got paired up against UNLV, an 11-seed on a 22-game win streak heading into the tournament. Needless to say, the Rebels were hot and had all the confidence in the world, as they had not lost a game since mid-December. Still, that hot streak wasn’t quite enough, as the Wolverines would go on to win the first-round matchup 71-59.

1st Quarter

It immediately became clear that this would be a physical game, with both teams not afraid to take a shot or two. After a few empty possessions in a row, Kiser got the scoring started with a deep 3-point shot. From here, the teams went back and forth, leading to a close initial battle.

Through bodies hitting the floor and whistles blowing, the physical first quarter led to a total of six personal fouls called through the first 10 minutes. The intensity was apparent right from the get-go.

While the game was close early on, with the score tied 7-7 just around 4 minutes into the match, Leigha Brown decided she’d had enough. Brown would go on to score four straight for the Wolverines, leading her team to make a run late in the first.

Michigan pulled away late in the quarter, entering the second leading 17-9.

2nd Quarter

Following a 12-2 run to close the 1st quarter, the scoring continued for the Wolverines as they put their foot on the gas. Michigan scored the first five points of the quarter, while senior guard Maddie Nolan scored five points by herself within the first minute and a half.

It also became apparent in this quarter that the UNLV Rebels could not compete with Michigan’s height and length. The Wolverines implemented trapping into their defense, forcing the shorter UNLV guards into difficult positions, leading to plenty of turnovers.

If the Rebels didn’t make a change fast, it was becoming clear that the game could be getting away from them soon, and that’s precisely what they did. Making use of a full-court press and some open 3-point shots, UNLV would go on a 9-1 run, closing the gap to just 25-20 with a little over two minutes remaining in the half.

Still, despite the run, the Wolverines’ defense, with six steals and two blocks, would take Michigan to the locker room ahead by eight points, leading 28-20.

3rd Quarter

To start the third, UNLV was prepped and ready to go, scoring in two straight possessions and forcing a turnover on the Wolverine’s first possession of the quarter. It was clear that the shots were starting to fall, and Michigan was beginning to lose that controlling lead they found in the first half as it came as close as being a three-point game.

However, that’s as close as it would get in the quarter as the Wolverines’ senior presence began to shine with players like Leigha Brown, Maddie Nolan and Emily Kiser all making big play after big play en route to yet another Michigan women’s basketball run, bringing the lead back up to 12 points within a matter of minutes.

To finish off the quarter, the physical nature of the game once again came to the forefront as personal fouls, and taped-up scratches became the focus. Still, through it all, Michigan took a strong 54-43 lead into the final quarter.

4th Quarter

Heading into the fourth quarter, it was important for Michigan to simply hold on to the lead and not allow UNLV to claw their way back into the game. Still, Maddie Nolan showed early on that it wouldn’t be an issue, hitting a 3-point shot straight away, her fourth 3-pointer on the day.

If the Rebels wanted to make a comeback, it was important that their defense could shine and not allow the teams to trade baskets. Unfortunately for them, there are too many weapons on the Wolverines’ offense, and coach Kim Barnes Arico and company were able to close out the game with relative ease. Michigan women’s basketball would go on to take the game 71-59.

Overview

Ultimately, despite being a close game early on, Michigan women’s basketball had a controlling lead for most of the game. The Wolverines’ defense was elite throughout the game, forcing 14 turnovers and holding star UNLV forward Desi-Rae Young to just 11 points on the day.

Michigan’s offense wasn’t too shabby either, with star seniors Emily Kiser and Maddie Nolan leading the way with 18 points each. Guard Laila Phelia led the team in rebounds with 11, while guard Leigha Brown led in assists with seven on the day. It was a genuinely dominant showing from the Wolverines, and now, Michigan women’s basketball has officially won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament five years in a row.

Looking Ahead

As is NCAA Tournament tradition, things only get more challenging the deeper you get into March Madness. Looking toward the future, Michigan prepares to faceoff against either LSU or Hawaii in the second-round, who are set to play each other today at 5:30 p.m. EST.

LSU is by far the favorite to move forward in the tournament, as the Tigers out of Baton Rouge, LA have lost just two games all year. The fact they find themselves as a 3-seed is almost criminal, as LSU has proven to be one of the best teams in the country all season long. While you have to beat the best to be the best, I’m sure Michigan fans wouldn’t mind watching the Rainbow Wahines upset the Tigers in tonight’s matchup.

Still, no matter who the Wolverines play in the next round, it’s important they bring their A-game as it is March and anything can happen. The Wolverines are set to play again this Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

On Saturday, the Michigan State Spartans’ men’s basketball team faced off against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their final home game of the season. Michigan State went on to win 84-78 over the Buckeyes and improved to 19-11 ahead of this week’s Big Ten tournament. During Michigan State’s senior day, Spartan legend and head coach Tom Izzo had the chance to speak, and turned heads by quoting the late Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler.

Tom Izzo quotes Michigan coach Bo Schembechler

From 1969-1989, the Michigan Wolverines’ football team was coached by Bo Schembechler. Bo is known for shaping the identity of the Wolverines’ program, though recent allegations against him covering up sexual abuse at UM are a dark mark on his otherwise impressive coaching resume. During his time in Ann Arbor, Schembechler won 194 of his 247 games, claiming 13 Big Ten titles during his 21 years on Michigan’s sideline.

Considering Tom Izzo is a Michigan State legend himself, it was odd hearing him (reluctantly) quote Bo Schembechler.

What did Izzo have to say?

Here is Tom Izzo’s quote:

“There’s a process to this whole thing,” Izzo said. “Sometimes it takes longer than others but, I guess it was Bo Schembechler – I hate to say it – but ‘Those Who Stay Will Be Champions’.”

It takes a bold or foolish man to quote any Michigan Man in East Lansing — especially on as big of a stage as we saw during Michigan State’s Senior Day — though if anyone can (and did) get away with it, it would be Tom Izzo.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

This Thursday, the Michigan basketball team will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in their penultimate game of the regular season. The Wolverines are riding a three game win streak and are looking to solidify their spot as the second seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Saddi Washington breaks down important game notes for Michigan basketball

Ahead of the game, assistant coach Saddi Washington talked about the team’s mentality and preparation as tournament play approaches. “It’s go time”, Washington said, adding “… as we try to earn our way into seeding with the Big Ten tournament, as we try to earn our way into postseason play, you hope that this is the time of year your team starts trending in the right direction. We’re just gonna try to stay on course and gear ourselves up for a tough match against Illinois this Thursday.”

Midway through the season, the Wolverines were staring at an 11-10 record and a growing possibility that they would miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015. Many of their losses came from very close games, including a five point loss to Purdue who was ranked No. 1 at the time.

Despite the midseason struggles, Michigan basketball has won six of their last eight games. When asked about the team’s late season hot streak, Washington replied, “You know I think our guys are just having a very clear understanding of how important it is to live in the details.” He added, “Earlier in the year we were losing a lot of these tough games by close margins. Whether it was youth, whether it was experience, whether it was talent, whatever the denominators are that were contributing to us not finishing games, now it appears we’ve learned from our past failures.”

Michigan is peaking in March?

Washington emphasized the importance of overcoming the team’s midseason struggles and mentioned how it only makes the team stronger heading into March. He stated, “Failures are a big part of becoming successful, and now I think we’re in a better position to finish out some of these games as we move forward. In a week from now, the records won’t matter, so now it’s just playing the best at the right time of the year.”

Illinois currently sits two spots below Michigan in the Big Ten standings, with the Wolverines sitting at second and the Fighting Illini tied for fourth. Illinois is coming off of a 72-60 loss against the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that the Wolverines beat earlier this season.

Wolverines facing a must-win game

“We have to worry about trying to get a really tough road win against a really tough Illinois opponent” Washington said, “If we can do that, then things continue to move forward for us, and you really want to be in a position to dictate your fate. You don’t want things to have to happen to you as a result of other people’s wins or losses.”

Lastly, Washington gave a status update on Jett Howard who has been out in recent games due to an ankle injury. Washington said, “It’s TBD. He’s been progressing, I know he’s been working really hard through his rehab to get back. He’s had a great attitude throughout in his support of his brothers in his absence. If and whenever he comes back we’re gonna be happy to have him.”

The Michigan basketball team will head to Champaign, IL to take on the Fighting Illini at 7 PM ET this Thursday.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!