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Michigan women’s basketball: 3 takeaways from season-ending loss

By Chris Peterson

Mar 19, 2023; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Lady Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey talks with Michigan Wolverines head coach Kim Barnes Arico at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2023; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Lady Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey talks with Michigan Wolverines head coach Kim Barnes Arico at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Michigan women’s basketball team suffered a season-ending loss to LSU in the NCAA tournament. Here are three takeaways. 

Sometimes, it’s just not your night and that was the case on Sunday for the Michigan women’s basketball team.

Michigan did a solid job defensively against LSU but the Wolverines trailed by double digits for most of the second game and the game got away from the Wolverines in the fourth quarter of a 66-42 loss to LSU.

U-M finishes the season with a record of 23-10. Here are some takeaways from this loss and the 2022-23 Michigan women’s basketball season.

LSU dominated the boards

We talked about this in the preview, but LSU is one of the best rebounding teams in the country and the Tigers looked like it on Sunday night.

Michigan had 21 rebounds total, while LSU had 20 offensive rebounds and 44 rebounds. Their advantage was 23 overall and 18 on the offensive glass.

LSU also had just six turnovers compared to 14 for the Wolverines, so in the extra-possession battle, it really wasn’t close.

The length of LSU bothered Michigan women’s basketball

Michigan used its size as an advantage in the first round, but in the round of 32, LSU was able to use its length to bother the Wolverines.

LSU was credited with 10 steals. Michigan also shot just 35 percent from the field. LSU was a top-32-scoring defense in the country for a reason. You can say that Michigan struggled to shoot the ball and that’s partially true.

But when you are shooting against an elite defensive team, it’s a lot tougher and you could see why the Tigers have lost just two games so far this season — they defend and rebound at an elite level.

A successful season for Michigan

For a program that hadn’t made a Sweet 16 until two years ago, it’s hard to call this season anything but a success. It was only the eighth time in 42 years of women’s basketball that the Wolverines won a tournament game.

The season didn’t end the way Michigan wanted it to. But the Wolverines won 23 games and put together one of the better seasons in program history, which is commendable after losing Naz Hillmon the best player in Michigan women’s basketball history to the WNBA after last season.

Things are still headed in the right direction and Kim Barnes Arico is one of the best.