The women's basketball team secured its highest NCAA Tournament seeding in program history on Sunday night when it earned a No. 3 seed in the tournament's Wichita region.
The Wolverines, who finished with a 22-6 overall record, will take on the 23-8 No. 14 seed American Eagles in the first round of the tournament. The Eagles come from the Patriot League, where they defeated Bucknell 65-54 to win league tournament.
Michigan, on the other hand, dominated much of the 2021-22 season before dropping four of its final six games, including its Big Ten Tournament opener against Nebraska. The Wolverines will look to pick up some momentum early on in the tournament, in hopes of making their second straight Sweet 16 appearance.
The Eagles' leading scorer is 5-foot-10 guard Jade Edwards. Edwards appeared in 30 games for the Eagles this season, and she averaged 12.5 points per game. She leads the team in just about every statistical category, and will be a tough task for the Wolverines.
However, American will have a much tougher task of its own. Naz Hillmon has been on an absolute tear this season and has become a household name around not only Ann Arbor, but America. The senior forward nearly averaged a double-double with 21 points per game and 9.4 rebounds. If American wants any chance of winning this game, it will have to figure out a way to slow down the four-time first-team all-Big Ten selection.
Hillmon won't be alone, though. Michigan has four other players who average more than eight points per game. Simply stopping Hillmon won't be enough for the Eagles to pull off the upset. Led by women's coach of the year finalist Kim Barnes Arico, the Wolverines are poised for a fun, and (hopefully) long March.
The game will take place on Saturday, March 19 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. The game time and TV network is still to be determined. Should the Wolverines win, they will advance to the Round of 32 to take on the winner of No. 6 seed BYU and No. 11 seed Villanova.