The most intriguing dilemmas are found further down the rankings. They are the squads that are heading towards chaos. Michigan, which ranked 10th in the first two weeks of the AP poll, may be one of the biggest noise generators. The Wolverines returned three starters and 67% of their scoring from a 2024-25 squad that finished fifth in the deep Big Ten. Their defense, although young, is one of the most talented in the country and shows it from the beginning.
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Sophomore guard Syla Swords, named preseason All-Big Ten after a second-team honor in the regular season, gained valuable experience with Team Canada at the U19 World Cup. Sophomore guard Olivia Olson, the conference’s reigning Freshman of the Year, stood out as Michigan’s leading scorer. And sophomore Mila Holloway nearly doubled her musical output earlier in the season.
That trio combined for 43 points in a hands-down 93-54 victory over then-No. 18 Notre Dame (3-1), cementing for now the preseason claim that the Wolverines will challenge the Big Ten’s top squads. It was the worst loss for Notre Dame in more than two decades. The “Shamrock Challenge” competitors last met in the second round of the NCAA tournament when a very different-looking Irish squad advanced, 76-55. Olson and Swords combined for 37, but Holloway was limited and the starting forwards combined for five points.
Another sophomore, guard Te’Yala Delfosse, could stand out to further boost an impressive 2024 recruiting class under Kim Barnes Arico. Delfosse is still coming off the bench, as he did for 24 games a year ago, to get more time and more production per 40. Although it’s a minuscule sample size, he’s shooting 60% from beyond the arc through three games.
“Delfosse is really doing a great job in the preseason,” Barnes Arico said in October during Michigan’s media day. “I know we saw that a little bit from her last year. She was a spark for us at times. I think the first year is a big challenge for anyone, so I think she’ll be a little more consistent this season.”
(Michael Reaves via Getty Images)
The frontcourt, moving forward without veterans Greta Kampschroeder and Jordan Hobbs, can make or break Michigan (3-0). Ashley Sofilkanich, a 6-foot-3 junior from Bucknell who led the Patriot League in scoring (19.7); Alyssa Crockett, a 6-2 senior who never went more than nine minutes a game; and Kendall Dudley, a sophomore transfer from UCLA, play the most minutes at the position, while Barnes Arico skews lower.
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Turning around Notre Dame, while impressive, doesn’t mean as much this November as it would have a season ago. The Fighting Irish are leaning too heavily on Hannah Hidalgo, a recipe that won’t always produce the results it did against Akron last week. Michigan will experience more size in UCLA and 6-foot-7 All-American Lauren Betts, stiffer defenses from teams like Vanderbilt and more cohesive squads than Notre Dame within the Big Ten.
The next test for Michigan (after facing Binghamton on Tuesday) is UConn, a team that bulked up this offseason, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday (8 p.m. ET, Fox).
“Well, based on what little I’ve seen of Michigan, they’re certainly going to be the best team we play this year,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said Sunday after a 100-68 home win over Ohio State, Michigan’s Big Ten rival. “By far, at this point in the season. They’re talented, they’re smart, they’re well balanced, they play exceptionally well together (and) they’re very well coached.”
UConn’s non-conference schedule includes USC, Iowa and Tennessee. Whether Auriemma, a 12-time NCAA champion, is simply motivating his team early in the year by making such a bold claim is beside the point. Anyone facing Michigan this season will have a tough time.
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“It’s not going to be an easy team to play against,” Auriemma said. “At all.”
Game of the week: Iowa (4-0) vs Baylor (4-0)
Another team will fall from undefeated standings when the final buzzer rings at the WBCA Showcase, played Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Hawkeyes guard Chazadi Wright, a sophomore transfer from Georgia Tech, leads a balanced offensive attack that includes sophomore guard Ava Heiden and senior forward Hannah Stuelke. Baylor seeks its second win over an AP-ranked team after defeating Duke in a low-scoring game on opening day. Transfer Taliah Scott is averaging 24.5 points per game, top 10 in Division I and the most of any transfer in the class.
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This weekend there are a lot of ranked matchups. Enjoy Friday night with USC (2-1) at Notre Dame (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) followed by Michigan-UConn.
Player of the Week: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; and Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Hidalgo took over with a stat line packed with 44 points, 16 steals, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. The Notre Dame guard was efficient (64%) in her attempts and was 3 of 6 from the perimeter in the 85-58 victory over Akron. The scoring total is the most by a player this season and the most by a single player in Notre Dame history. The steals broke the program record, which she held, and last tied the NCAA single-game record in 2008 with 14.
The same day, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks exploded for 43 in 20 tight minutes of action during a 97-50 rout of Valparaiso. The 6-3 junior center scored 18 of 23, continuing his efficient start to the season (76.1%).
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Yahoo Sports AP Top 25 Voting
1. University of Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Roof tiles
4.UCLA
5. L.S.U.
6. Michigan
7. Maryland
8.Baylor
9. Tennessee
10. USC
11. TCU
12.Oklahoma
13. North Carolina
14.Iowa
15. North Carolina State
16. Old Miss
17.Louisville
18. Iowa State
19. Oklahoma State
20. West Virginia
21. Notre Dame
22.Kentucky
23. Duke
24. Michigan State
25. Vanderbilt
Official AP Top 25
1. University of Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3.UCLA
4. Roof tiles
5. L.S.U.
6. Michigan
7.Baylor
8.Oklahoma
9. Maryland
10. TCU
11. USC
12. Iowa State
13. Old Miss
14. North Carolina
15. Tennessee
16. North Carolina State
17. Vanderbilt
18. Oklahoma State
19.Iowa
20.Kentucky
21.Louisville
22. Michigan State
23. West Virginia
24. Notre Dame
25.Washington