The Michigan women's basketball team will begin its 2026-27 season on Thursday night with a high-stakes showdown against fifth-ranked UConn.
Michigan reached the Elite 8 a year ago, falling to Texas. The Longhorns eventually lost to UCLA in the Final Four, the team that defeated South Carolina for the national championship.
Ranked 5th in the AP poll, the Wolverines have aspirations of reaching the Final Four. Syla Swords is back for her junior season after earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2025-26. The 6-foot guard averaged 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.
Her partner in crime is Olivia Olson. The 6-foot-1 guard who averaged18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. Olson, a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2024-25, as well as a First-Team All-Big Ten selection last season, scored 664 points last season, the fourth-most in program history.
Te'Yala Delfosee is another name to know. She scored 22 points in Michigan's recent exhibition win. The 6-foot-3 scored 8.7 points and grabbed 4.7 rebounds a season ago.
Point guard Mila Holloway is out indefinitely. That means the Wolverines will have Dallas Loughridge, an Australian guard who played professionally last season as the point guard. She's 5-foot-6, and at the time of her signing, she had played in 17 games in the NBL1 and averaged 25.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in nearly 37 minutes per game.
UConn is formidable as always
UConn needs no introduction. The Huskies are one of the greatest programs in college sports history. They fell short of defending their national title from 2024-25, but with Preseason AP Player of the Year Sarah Strong leading the way, the Huskers are among the favorites to win it all again.
KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade are two other keys names to know. But the entire roster is loaded with talent. The Wolverines played the Huskies in Storrs last season, losing by three points after an epic rallly late the in game.
It was a coming-out party for Swords, who scored 29 points. She made nine field goals, including eight 3-pointers, in the 72-69 loss.
Michigan will play UConn on Friday night, too, in a men's basketball game that's a rematch of the 2026 national title game. So this will be the first of two high-stakes matchups between Michigan and UConn as the Wolverines try to prove they are national title caliber in women's basketball, too.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 PM EST. Fox Sports 1 will have the broadcast. Mgoblue.com is offering the radio broadcast for free.
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