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Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo breaks down the matchup between Michigan women's basketball and Louisville in the Sweet 16 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Matchup: 2-seed Michigan (27-6, 15-3 Big Ten) vs. 3-seed Louisville (29-7, 15-3 ACC); Fort Worth-3 region Sweet 16.
Tipoff: 12:30 p.m., Saturday, March 28; Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas.
TV: ABC.
Series: 4-0, Louisville. In their most recent meeting, the Cardinals defeated Michigan in the 2022 Elite Eight, 62-50.
At stake: Winner advances to the Fort Worth-3 regional final on Monday against Saturday's winner between 1-seed Texas and 5-seed Kentucky, for a trip to the Final Four.
The buzz: Michigan is coming off a pair of blowout wins at home, most recently a 92-63 romp of 7-seed North Carolina State, to nab a Sweet 16 appearance, just the third in program history. Barnes Arico's squad has relied on a frenzied full-court pressure style to force turnovers and lead to easy opportunities on the break. Against NC State, Michigan scored 35 points off 22 turnovers, a mark that helped them turn a close game at halftime into a complete blowout late.
But the Wolverines have also benefitted from production from the team's best players — Swords carved up NC State with 26 points, and Olson scored all of her 27 points in the second half after struggling with foul trouble early. Holloway turned a slow shooting start into a productive performance as well, adding 13 points on 6-for-18 shooting.
The formula for Michigan at this point seems set: Rely on defensive pressure to force turnovers, own the glass and convert on the break. After hosting their first two games, Michigan now heads to a neutral site to face a Louisville squad for a trip to the Elite Eight.
The buzz: The Cardinals are playing in their 13th Sweet Sixteen under Walz, who's tied for third among active coaches in appearances in the round. They held off 6-seed Alabama, 69-68, in the Round of 32 to get to the second weekend.
Louisville can match Michigan's volume from 3 — if shots are falling. Roberts, Ziegler and Berry all shot over 35% from the arc on more than 100 attempts in the regular season. The Cardinals had a slow shooting start against the Crimson Tide, but were able convert enough late to advance. Still, they shot just 7-for-26 from deep in the victory.
Another contributor to Louisville's tight contest? Turnovers. Louisville turned it over to the Tide 15 times. Against Michigan, which has employed a heavy-pressure approach, picking up ball handlers deep in their own half, avoiding turnovers and limiting fast break opportunities will be key for Louisville's chances to advance.
Although Louisville doesn't have an individual force on the boards like NC State did in Khamil Pierre, they rebound well as a team, and outmuscled Alabama on the glass 41-27. Randolph, who is the daughter of former NBA and Michigan State star Zach Randolph, led the effort with 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Istanbulluoglu and Ziegler pitched in with 11 and eight, respectively.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Scouting Michigan women's basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16
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Fast facts
Matchup: 2-seed Michigan (27-6, 15-3 Big Ten) vs. 3-seed Louisville (29-7, 15-3 ACC); Fort Worth-3 region Sweet 16.
Tipoff: 12:30 p.m., Saturday, March 28; Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas.
TV: ABC.
Series: 4-0, Louisville. In their most recent meeting, the Cardinals defeated Michigan in the 2022 Elite Eight, 62-50.
At stake: Winner advances to the Fort Worth-3 regional final on Monday against Saturday's winner between 1-seed Texas and 5-seed Kentucky, for a trip to the Final Four.
Michigan women's basketball: Meet the Wolverines
- Location: Ann Arbor.
- Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (311-150 over 14 seasons at U-M, 487-284 career).
- School tournament record: 14-13 in 13 appearances.
- Past 10 games: 9-1
- Scoring leaders: Olivia Olson, 19.2 points per game; Syla Swords 14.8; Mila Holloway, 12.4.
- Rebounding leaders: Olson, 6.2; Brooke Quarles-Daniels, 5.2; Te'yala Delfosse, 4.6.
- Assist leaders: Holloway, 4.8; Quarles Daniels, 2.9; Olson, 2.5.
- 3-point leaders: McKenzie Mathurin, 40%; Macy Brown, 36.1%; Holloway, 34.9%.
The buzz: Michigan is coming off a pair of blowout wins at home, most recently a 92-63 romp of 7-seed North Carolina State, to nab a Sweet 16 appearance, just the third in program history. Barnes Arico's squad has relied on a frenzied full-court pressure style to force turnovers and lead to easy opportunities on the break. Against NC State, Michigan scored 35 points off 22 turnovers, a mark that helped them turn a close game at halftime into a complete blowout late.
But the Wolverines have also benefitted from production from the team's best players — Swords carved up NC State with 26 points, and Olson scored all of her 27 points in the second half after struggling with foul trouble early. Holloway turned a slow shooting start into a productive performance as well, adding 13 points on 6-for-18 shooting.
The formula for Michigan at this point seems set: Rely on defensive pressure to force turnovers, own the glass and convert on the break. After hosting their first two games, Michigan now heads to a neutral site to face a Louisville squad for a trip to the Elite Eight.
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Louisville women's basketball: Meet the Cardinals
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky.
- Coach: Jeff Walz (515-153 over 19 seasons at Louisville).
- School tournament record: 43-16 in 17 appearances.
- Past 10 games: 7-3.
- Scoring leaders: G Tajianna Roberts, 11.6; F Laura Ziegler, 11.2; G Imari Berry, 11.
- Rebounding leaders: Ziegler, 6.9; F Mackenly Randolph, 5.6; F Elif Istanbulluoglu, 5.1.
- Assist leaders: Roberts, 3.1; Ziegler, 2.9; G Reyna Scott, 2.8.
- 3-point leaders: Berry, 38.1%, Ziegler, 36.4%, G Reagan Bender, 36.1%, Roberts, 35.6%.
The buzz: The Cardinals are playing in their 13th Sweet Sixteen under Walz, who's tied for third among active coaches in appearances in the round. They held off 6-seed Alabama, 69-68, in the Round of 32 to get to the second weekend.
Louisville can match Michigan's volume from 3 — if shots are falling. Roberts, Ziegler and Berry all shot over 35% from the arc on more than 100 attempts in the regular season. The Cardinals had a slow shooting start against the Crimson Tide, but were able convert enough late to advance. Still, they shot just 7-for-26 from deep in the victory.
Another contributor to Louisville's tight contest? Turnovers. Louisville turned it over to the Tide 15 times. Against Michigan, which has employed a heavy-pressure approach, picking up ball handlers deep in their own half, avoiding turnovers and limiting fast break opportunities will be key for Louisville's chances to advance.
Although Louisville doesn't have an individual force on the boards like NC State did in Khamil Pierre, they rebound well as a team, and outmuscled Alabama on the glass 41-27. Randolph, who is the daughter of former NBA and Michigan State star Zach Randolph, led the effort with 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Istanbulluoglu and Ziegler pitched in with 11 and eight, respectively.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Scouting Michigan women's basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
