Women's NCAA Tournament: What to know about Iowa State's next NCAA Tournament opponent
Iowa State won't have long to celebrate its thrilling comeback victory over Princeton in the First Four game Wednesday night.
The No. 11 seeded Cyclones have less than 48 hours between games and will take on No. 6 seed Michigan at 10:30 a.m. CT this Friday. The game will air on ESPN2.
Here's what to know about the Wolverines ahead of Friday's round of 64 game.
Michigan women's basketball: Roster, stats, NCAA Tournament history and more
- Record: 22-10
- Conference: Big Ten (11-7; fifth place)
- Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
NCAA Tournament history: Michigan has been a steady program under current head coach Kim Barnes Arico. The Wolverines have now qualified for eight NCAA Tournament appearances in her 13 seasons and likely would have added a ninth if the 2020 tournament had not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michigan has been to every NCAA Tournament since 2018 and has advanced out of the first round in all but one of those seasons, including a Sweet 16 trip in 2021 and an Elite Eight run in 2022. This year's edition of the Wolverines hasn't missed a beat, finishing fifth in a tough Big Ten and grabbing a No. 6 seed.
All five of Michigan's starters are capable 3-point shooters. They each average at least one made 3-pointer per game, and four of the five shoot at least 35% from 3-point range.
Defensively, Michigan has held teams to a lot of poor shooting nights from 3-point range (28.9% allowed) but hasn't contained teams at the rim quite as well. The Wolverines allow teams to shoot 47.6% inside the 3-point arc, which ranks 274th in the country.
Michigan women's basketball players to watch: Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Jordan Hobbs
The Wolverines have played 32 games this season and have had the same starting lineup for 31 of them.
The freshman duo of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords leads the team in scoring, each averaging just north of 16 points per game. Both were named to the McDonald's All-American Game last season coming out of high school and were top-25 recruits. Olson was co-Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten and both made the All-Freshman team.
Senior Jordan Hobbs has the most NCAA Tournament experience on the team. Hobbs started and played 42 minutes in Michigan's overtime loss in last year's first round vs. Kansas, leading the team with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. This year, Hobbs is averaging 13.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Iullia Grabovskaia, a 6-foot-5 center who averages 13.8 minutes per game off the bench, could see increased playing time if Michigan has trouble matching up inside with Audi Crooks. Grabovskaia and Hobbs are the only Wolverines listed about 6-foot-1 to see steady playing time. Greta Kampschroeder, averaging 6.8 points and starting all 32 games this year, is a converted post player who began her career at Michigan as a guard.
Iowa State vs. Michigan women's NCAA Tournament tickets
Tickets are available for all three games in South Bend, Indiana. You can .
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