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Breaking down the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament matchup between 2-seed Michigan basketball and 15-seed Holy Cross.
Matchup: 2-seed Michigan (25-6, 15-3 Big Ten) vs. 15-seed Holy Cross (23-9, 14-4 Patriot League); Fort Worth 3 region, first round.
Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 20; Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.
TV: ESPN2.
Series: Holy Cross leads 2-1. The most recent matchup between the Wolverines and Crusaders was in the 2000-01 season, when Holy Cross defeated Michigan 62-58.
At stake: Winner advances to the second round to face Friday's winner between 7-seed North Carolina State and 10-seed Tennessee on Sunday at Crisler Center.
The buzz: Michigan is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its eighth consecutive berth. The Wolverines — ranked eighth in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll — are coming off a semifinal berth in the Big Ten Tournament, where they fell to Iowa, 59-42, . Barnes Arico's team is lead by the sophomore guard tandem of Olson and Swords, who both received first-team all conference honors from both coaches and media.
Michigan's 83.6 points per game was ninth-best in the country. As the second seed in the Fort Worth-3 region of the bracket, Michigan gets to host its opening matchup, and should it win, its second game, at home in Ann Arbor. Crisler Center has been a stronghold for the Wolverines, who boast a 14-1 record at home this season. Only UCLA, the top seed in the Sacramento-2 region, won as a road team in Ann Arbor, when they beat Michigan, 69-66, on Feb. 8.
Under Barnes Arico, Michigan is 10-8 in the NCAA tournament. The program is 6-1 in its last seven opening NCAA games.
The buzz: Holy Cross sealed its 15th NCAA appearance by winning the Patriot League Tournament, defeating Lehigh, 77-70, to claim the program's third conference title in four seasons. While Michigan boasts a top-10 scoring average, the Crusaders hang their hat on defense, holding opponents to 56.8 points per game, a top-20 mark in the country.
Cahalan, a senior forward from New Jersey, stuffed the stat sheet for Holy Cross on her way to first-team All-Patriot League honors. Flanagan, a second-team all-conference pick herself, is the team's lead guard and is coming off a conference tournament in which she averaged 11 points and 6 assists over three games en route to tourney MVP honors.
The Crusaders have a 2-14 record all-time in the NCAA tournament, although one of their wins came in the First Four round during their most-recent appearance in 2024, when they beat Tennessee-Martin. The program's only round of 64 win came in 1991, when they defeated Maryland.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Holy Cross women's basketball matchup: What to know
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Fast facts
Matchup: 2-seed Michigan (25-6, 15-3 Big Ten) vs. 15-seed Holy Cross (23-9, 14-4 Patriot League); Fort Worth 3 region, first round.
Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 20; Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.
TV: ESPN2.
Series: Holy Cross leads 2-1. The most recent matchup between the Wolverines and Crusaders was in the 2000-01 season, when Holy Cross defeated Michigan 62-58.
At stake: Winner advances to the second round to face Friday's winner between 7-seed North Carolina State and 10-seed Tennessee on Sunday at Crisler Center.
Michigan women's basketball: Meet the Wolverines
- Location: Ann Arbor.
- Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (309-150 at U-M, 485-284 career).
- School tournament record: 12-13 in 13 appearances.
- Past 10 games: 7-3
- Scoring leaders: G Olivia Olson, 19.1; G Syla Swords 14.5; G Mila Holloway, 12.4.
- Rebounding leaders: Olson, 6.2; G Brooke Quarles-Daniels, 5.2; G/F Te'yala Delfosse, 4.6.
- Assist leaders: Holloway, 4.7; Quarles Daniels, 2.8; Olson, 2.6.
- 3-point leaders: G McKenzie Mathurin, 40%; G Macy Brown, 36.1%; Holloway, 34.8%.
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The buzz: Michigan is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its eighth consecutive berth. The Wolverines — ranked eighth in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll — are coming off a semifinal berth in the Big Ten Tournament, where they fell to Iowa, 59-42, . Barnes Arico's team is lead by the sophomore guard tandem of Olson and Swords, who both received first-team all conference honors from both coaches and media.
Michigan's 83.6 points per game was ninth-best in the country. As the second seed in the Fort Worth-3 region of the bracket, Michigan gets to host its opening matchup, and should it win, its second game, at home in Ann Arbor. Crisler Center has been a stronghold for the Wolverines, who boast a 14-1 record at home this season. Only UCLA, the top seed in the Sacramento-2 region, won as a road team in Ann Arbor, when they beat Michigan, 69-66, on Feb. 8.
Under Barnes Arico, Michigan is 10-8 in the NCAA tournament. The program is 6-1 in its last seven opening NCAA games.
Holy Cross women's basketball: Meet the Crusaders
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- Location: Worcester, Massachusetts.
- Coach: Candice Green (42-21 at Holy Cross, 61-34 career).
- School tournament record: 2-14 in 14 appearances.
- Past 10 games: 9-1.
- Scoring leaders: F Meg Cahalan, 15.3; G Kaitlyn Flanagan 9.1; G Simone Foreman, 8.5; G Kendall Eddy, 8.0.
- Rebounding leaders: Foreman, 7.3; G Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly, 6.5; Cahalan, 4.1.
- Assist leaders: Flanagan, 4.2; Eddy, 2.7; Cahalan, 2.
- 3-point leaders: Donnelly, 35.1%, Eddy, 31.6%; Flanagan, 30%.
The buzz: Holy Cross sealed its 15th NCAA appearance by winning the Patriot League Tournament, defeating Lehigh, 77-70, to claim the program's third conference title in four seasons. While Michigan boasts a top-10 scoring average, the Crusaders hang their hat on defense, holding opponents to 56.8 points per game, a top-20 mark in the country.
Cahalan, a senior forward from New Jersey, stuffed the stat sheet for Holy Cross on her way to first-team All-Patriot League honors. Flanagan, a second-team all-conference pick herself, is the team's lead guard and is coming off a conference tournament in which she averaged 11 points and 6 assists over three games en route to tourney MVP honors.
The Crusaders have a 2-14 record all-time in the NCAA tournament, although one of their wins came in the First Four round during their most-recent appearance in 2024, when they beat Tennessee-Martin. The program's only round of 64 win came in 1991, when they defeated Maryland.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Holy Cross women's basketball matchup: What to know
Continue reading...
