The freshman nameplates are up:

https://www.facebook.com/michiganwomensbasketball/photos/pcb.1024436734235941/1024436514235963/?type=1

It appears Naomi Davenport won't be joining the team as she will be playing for Trinity Valley Community College in Texas:

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/recruiting-blog/2015/07/08/mount-notre-dame-guard-naomi-davenport-to-attend-trinity-valley-community-college/29881533/

"The Best Coaching Staff in America"

The Michigan Daily profiles coaching staff:

With such a turnaround from Barnes Arico’s first and second years, when she lost a full starting lineup, the program continues to make a name for itself in the NCAA.

And it’s all due to “the best coaching staff in America.”

Incoming Freshman

From the Michigan Daily:

Though Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico won’t be starting all five freshmen like Steve Fisher did with his Fab Five in 1991, she’s hoping that all five of her first-year players — coming from a recruiting class that was ranked 22nd in the nation by All Star Girls Report — will contribute meaningful minutes this season.

Katelyn Flaherty

The Detroit Free Press has an article about incoming freshman Katelynn Flaherty and how she will be looked on to score:

But if she is left open, Flaherty is not bashful about shooting. In fact, it has been made abundantly clear that she should let shots fly.
"Coach always says if you make it, she'll let you take the shot," Flaherty said. "She's been very open to me with that. But I've also learned to take better shots. Here, you can make a second pass or you can drive and kick, which I love doing. I'd rather do that than score."
U-M would prefer her to score.

Michigan earns first NCAA bid since 2001

Viedo reaction here.

Next:: Northwestern

Michigan travels to Evanston tonight to take on the Wildcats.  Northwestern is led by a trio of players who average double figure scoring - forward Kendall Hackney (16.3 ppg), guard Morgan Jones (14.7 ppg) and forward Danielle Diamant (12.6 ppg).

Northwestern in no pushover - they are 12-6, 2-3 in the Big Ten but only lost to Ohio State by 10 on the road and have a win over LSU.  This is an important game for Michigan as it is a chance to steal another road win, something that is always tough to do in the Big 10.

Next: Penn State

After a tough loss to Michigan State on the road and a huge win against the Buckeyes at Crisler, the Wolverines travel to State College to face the Nittany Lions today at 6:00pm (televised on the Big 10 Network).

Penn State has struggled a bit early in the Big 10 season with a road win against Wisconsin and home losses to Michigan States and Nebraska.

The Michigan Daily has a full preview here.

Next: Michigan State

Michigan travels to East Lansing to play the Spartans at 7:00pm tonight. While the Spartans aren't currently ranked in the top 25, they are still a talented team.  Porsche Poole is the leading scorer (10.6 pts/games), but they have seven players averaging 6 or more points a games. 

Michigan 70 Illinos 50

Michigan started off the Big 10 Season with a 70-50 win at Illinois.  While the Illini may not be an elite team in the Big 10, any conference road win is important and the 20 point margin has to help build confidence.  The Wolverines had balance scoring including 16 from Carmen Reynolds, 14 from Courtney Boylan, 12 from Jenny Ryan and 10 from Rachel Sheffer.  Sheffer added 8 rebounds and 3 steals while Ryan had 6 rebounds and 5 steals.

Carmen Reynolds reached the 1000 career points milestone in the game, and it was nice to see her have a strong game after struggling occasionally earlier in the season.

Next: Indiana State

Michigan hosts Indiana State University tonight @ 7:00pm

Eastern Michigan 77 Michigan 64

Michigan fell behind early and couldn't quite come all the way back.  It was a bit of a frustrating game because Michigan shot poorly from the 3 point line (2-12), had some annoying defense lapses and committed 17 turnovers (not all forced).

Credit to Eastern Michigan - they definitely earned the win, in large part because of a great game by Tavelyn James (38 points, including 13/14 from the line - several down the stretch).  James became Eastern's all time leading scorer early in the game.

Next:: Eastern Michigan University

Michigan travels down the road to visit Eastern Michigan University, hoping to get a bit of payback for last year's loss in the WNIT.  The Eagles are 5-3, with close losses to Michigan State and Missouri-Kansas City in their last two games.  They are led by guard Tavelyn James (23.5 pts/game) and forward Paige Reddit (10.1 pts/game and 9.8 rebounds/game).

Michigan hopes to go to 10-1 as the head toward the last of their non-conference games.

Catching Up

Michigan has started the season with three wins - over Florida, Florida Atlantic and Utah.  This afternoon they travel to Seton Hall.  The Pirates have started the season 3-0 as well, but they have not faced any strong teams yet - Florida Gulf Coast, Army and Vermont. The focus of their offense is senior guard Jasmine Crew who is currently averaging 21.3 points per game.

A quick look at Jeff Sagarin's (very early) ratings has Michigan about a 2 point favorite on a neutral court, which is less than the 4+ point advantage of home court, so it could end up being a very interesting game.

Big Ten Tournament/NCAA Selection Monday

Michigan had a disappointing game in the Big 10 Tournament, losing 55-47 in the second round to Illinois.  The Illini jumped out to an early lead and combined with some poor shooting and a few turnovers Michigan couldn't overcome a huge deficit.  They made a strong comeback at the end, but there wasn't enough time left to pull it off.  Uneven officiating didn't help, but that was not the main problem.

From the Michigan Daily:

Against Illinois on Friday, the Wolverines couldn't do either effectively, which eventually doomed them against a team with the worst record in the Big Ten.
Even though Michigan played solid defense, it never found offensive rhythm from anywhere on the court. Despite getting plenty of open looks, the Wolverines couldn't capitalize consistently. Whether in the post, perimeter or midrange, it didn’t matter — Michigan simply couldn't find the net.
“We were getting some good looks, and the people we wanted to shoot were shooting it and they weren't falling for us,” senior guard Veronica Hicks said after the game. “They were making shots and we weren't.”

Today the NCAA announces which teams will be in the field of 64 - despite the loss, Michigan is "on the bubble" and has a decent shot at being invited.  Charlie Creme currently has them as one of the last four "in".  We'll find out tonight.

Video preview from youtube

Next: Illinois (Big 10 Tournament)

Michigan plays Illinois today in second round of the Big 10 tournament.  Illinois advanced yesterday after an upset win over Wisconsin.  Michigan won the regular season meetings between the two teams 69-59 in Ann Arbor and 58-55 last Sunday in Champaign.

Michigan should be the favorite, but it can be tough to beat a team three times in one season.  Illinois is a young team with quite a bit of talent that has lost a number of tough games - the win against Wisconsin yesterday may give them some much needed confidence.

The winner of the game faces the winner of Purdue - Penn State tomorrow.

Michigan 58 Illinois 55

Michigan pulled out a great win, with Rachel Sheffer scoring a basket on an inbound pass with 1.5 seconds left.  The win means that Michigan finished in a four way tie for 3rd place with Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa.  Because the Big 10 uses total head to head as a tiebreaker (and Michigan swept the other 3 teams), Michigan gets the 3rd seed in the Big 10 Tournament.

Next: Illinois

Michigan visits Illinois today in their final regular season game.  A win and Michigan could end up seeded as high as third in the conference tournament (if OSU beats Wisconsin) and a loss could drop them to a 7 seed...  Needless to say, a win here will go a long way to helping their NCAA chances.

Minnesota 82 Michigan 78 (2 OT)

Tough loss in overtime, though Michigan still can have a good seed in the Big 10 tourney if they can beat Illinois in their final regular season game.

Veronica Hicks shot to send the game into overtime is worth watching again:

Next: Minnesota

Michigan hosts Minnesota @ Crisler arena tonight at 7:00.  It is senior night and fan appreciation night as well.  Michigan is looking for revenge against the Golden Gophers after losing in Minneapolis earlier this year.