The 2021-22 season of Michigan Women's Basketball met its unfortunate end on Monday night at the hands of the 1st seeded Louisville Cardinals. Michigan played a solid game and kept it within striking distance for all but the last couple minutes, trailing by two with only five minutes to go before running out of gas offensively. The loss closes the book on this season, with Michigan finishing at 25-7 and making the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. It was a season with a lot of high notes and will definitely be remembered down the line as one of the peaks of a rapidly improving program. Today we're going to do a quick review of the season for those who may have missed parts (or only jumped on the bandwagon in March), talk about what it means in context, and give a brief preview of next season's roster. 

 

A Season Synopsis  

Sometimes it's easy to forget the happy moments from a season in the immediate aftermath of a tough loss, but this year was rife with them for the Michigan women. They started the season 12-1, losing just one game in the 2021 portion of the season, which was also to Louisville in early December. Mixed in were some big wins that affirmed the potential of this team, most notably over a Baylor team who had knocked them off in the preceding year's tournament, in addition to a throttling of Ohio State on New Year's Eve, and victories in the Daytona Beach Invitational over Mississippi State and Oregon State. By the time the calendar flipped from 2021 to 2022, it was clear that Michigan Women's Basketball this season had a good shot to be the best team in program history, something that would be proven true later on. 

From the get-go of the season, Naz Hillmon remained the superstar, but it was the efforts of some of the pieces around her that made the season feel so hopeful going into the new year. That win over Baylor was the handiwork of Leigha Brown (and Laila Phelia), after Naz fouled out of the game, with Brown carrying the load in OT. To win against a highly ranked team away from home without Naz was a sign that the team had made improvements to the supporting cast that would give them a shot to go even deeper in the tournament. 

The team was also getting contributions from other, lesser-known pieces. The team entered the season knowing they'd need to replace key pieces like AK Johnson and Hailey Brown, and they were able to do so thanks to Emily Kiser and Danielle Rauch stepping up. Kiser was never more than an occasional role player in her first three years in Ann Arbor, but this season she snagged the starting center role, giving Michigan a strong interior presence next to Naz. Rauch was a backup guard with little starting experience who elevated her game by moving into the starting lineup and her hot three point stroke was especially useful in the fall (before cooling off later). 

[David Wilcomes]

They started 2022 with a rough loss against Nebraska, but Michigan was quickly right back on their winning ways. They cruised through the month of January and quickly started to look like the team to beat in the B1G. Michigan's big win over Maryland in College Park, made possible by Maddie Nolan's three point assault (21 points), was an important touchstone that solidified the Wolverines near the top of the league. They went into Columbus and polished off the Buckeyes for the second time on the season, and then returned home to play #5 Indiana in the biggest home game in program history. A complete effort from the Maize & Blue gave them a 15 point win and put them in the driver's seat of the conference. 

Unfortunately, at the tail end of the Indiana game, Leigha Brown sustained a lower leg injury that would change the trajectory of the regular season. Michigan hosted #21 Iowa in early February and were able to prevail with a victory thanks to Phelia's best game in a Michigan uniform to that point, but the offense would soon find a rut due to the loss of Brown. Michigan struggled offensively with high turnovers in back-to-back losses to Michigan State and Northwestern, two middle tier B1G teams (both of whom they probably would've beaten with a full lineup), and in the span of a week went from prohibitive conference favorites to a lagging candidate. 

With the season pushed to the brink, the Wolverines responded. They played great defense to beat Maryland for the second time on the season, and then Naz carried the team on her back (28 points) on Senior Night in Ann Arbor to beat MSU. This set up a winner-take-all battle for the conference regular season title against Iowa in Iowa City. In front of a raucous Hawkeye crowd, Michigan got out to a hot start, but things crumbled from there as Iowa superstar Caitlyn Clark played the game of her career to win a conference title. Clark led Iowa in points, assists, and rebounds, with 38-11-6, and the entire Hawkeye team shot the lights out from distance. Not much Michigan could really do about that. Leigha Brown returned in that game but was not remotely close to full strength.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Feelingsball and a look to 2022-23]

[JD Scott]

Michigan entered the B1G Tournament as the #3 seed, but had to face off with those same Nebraska Cornhuskers who bludgeoned them in Lincoln in early January. The hope was that another week of rest for Brown would get her to 100% and Michigan could make a run in Indy, but that is not what transpired. Michigan got off to a sleepy start, rallied furiously before halftime, and then played a tight game well into the fourth quarter before faltering down the stretch. Brown looked better, playing 26 minutes, but it was not enough. 

Despite the February skid, Michigan still had enough on their resume to earn a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and got to host games at Crisler in the tourney for the first time in program history. The Wolverines pummeled (14) American International in the first round, and then allowed the tag team of Hillmon and a (finally) healthy Leigha Brown to post 47 combined points, nearly more than (11) Villanova had in total, to advance to their second ever (and second straight) Sweet 16. The bracket had opened up a bit, with (10) South Dakota upsetting (2) Baylor, and Michigan entered Wichita as the favorite in their Saturday night clash with the Coyotes. It was a defensive slog, but Naz and Laila Phelia keyed Michigan to a 52-49 win, giving the program a berth into its first ever Elite Eight. 

That led to Monday night, when Michigan faced (1) Louisville. Seeking redemption for the embarrassing loss that the Cardinals gave the Wolverines earlier in the season, the Wolverines played a much tighter game this time around. It wasn't pretty to watch, as nasty and low scoring as the South Dakota contest a couple nights earlier, but it was competitive. Michigan trailed by only three at halftime, and two at the end of the third quarter. The lead stayed static until there were around five minutes to go. The Maize & Blue trailed by a score of just 52-50, but their offense hit the final wall. The Wolverines would not score again, as a new ailment befell Leigha Brown, sidelining her for most of the fourth quarter, and the length/athleticism of Louisville proved too much. The final score was 62-50, and the season was over. 

 

[JD Scott]

General Feelingsball About the Season 

There were some components to the season that were moderately disappointing (the February slump most notably), but I don't think you can say anything other than that the season was a success, especially with the way the NCAA Tournament went. The hope for 2021-22 was that it would be the best season in program history, and it was! Only one team in program history has won more games, and that was the 2016-17 squad that got to 28 wins because it won the NIT. A nice achievement for the time, but you'll take three wins in the NCAAs over six in the NIT every day of the week. The team made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, the longest stretch of consecutive berths in program history, and we're really looking at five straight seasons of tournament-worthy teams, as the 2019-20 squad was projected to make it in as a 9-10 seed before COVID canceled the season. 

In terms of individual achievements, there were plenty. Naz Hillmon became Michigan's first ever back-to-back All-American, and will hopefully be the first Wolverine picked in the WNBA Draft since 2005. Leigha Brown was named All-B1G Second Team, Laila Phelia made the All-B1G Freshman Team, and Kim Barnes Arico won her second B1G Coach of the Year Award. It was a little disappointing not to come away from this season with a B1G ring of some kind, but there were external factors at play. Had the B1G bothered to reschedule the Illinois game (a near-certain win), Michigan would've won a share of the conference title. Similarly, if Leigha Brown never gets hurt, Michigan wins the conference title outright most likely. Some things are beyond the control of the players, but when they had the opportunity to control the outcomes, they did well. 

Think of it like the 2013 Men's Basketball season. It's crazy to think that that team didn't come away with a B1G ring either, but if you were forced to pick between the program's first Final Four appearance in two decades or a B1G banner, it's no contest. Same principle here. A B1G ring would've been nice, but if forced to pick between that or the first ever Elite Eight trip, it's also no contest. Recruits are going to be far more swayed by getting to see a program play meaningful basketball in March on ESPN than they will by Michigan winning the conference on a winning percentage technicality. Those are just the facts. 

[Steve Adelson]

Moreover, when you look at how the season went in all, it's hard to be upset about anything. The goal after coming up just short in the Sweet 16 last year was to finally make the Elite Eight, and Michigan did that. Crucially, they didn't just make it, but they battled hard with a top seed, too. No one before the season felt that Michigan was *expected* to make the Final Four, because a big gap still exists between the top tier programs and the next tier. Michigan did all that was expected, and also did well to show that the gap between Michigan and a Louisville type (the bottom end of the top tier) is not as big as we perhaps thought. 

All that said, the talent on the roster will definitely need to improve for Michigan to make the next leap under KBA. An athleticism gap was decently notable in that matchup, as only Laila Phelia (Michigan's lone blue chip guard) was able to get any sort of consistent penetration off the dribble, while the Cardinals were content to run out in transition repeatedly. The length of Louisville was also key in forcing turnovers and denying entry passes to Naz, and the presence of Emily Engstler, a projected top five WNBA pick, was notable too. Louisville is a really good program that has been competing for Final Fours for years now. Michigan still has a bit to go to reach that level, and it's going to require getting better players. 

For now, though, Michigan has begun to recruit at a level that should leave them as a consistent B1G contender, and will give them a shot at capturing that elusive B1G title soon enough. There's going to be some turnover on the roster (discussed in the next section), but Michigan has been through this before and KBA has kept the program trending upwards. Back after the 2017-18 season, the Wolverines were contemplating the loss of Katelynn Flaherty, then the best player in program history and their all-time leading scorer. "How could Michigan go on without Flaherty?", some asked.

The answer was that the next group of stars, Naz, Hailey Brown, Hallie Thome, Amy Dilk, and Leigha Brown arrived. Now many of them are on their way out, because that's how college sports works. One crop enters, then they leave, and it's time for the next group. If you have a good coaching staff in place to recruit and develop players, you don't see drop-off. Michigan lost Flaherty and then either made the tournament or were projected to make the tournament in each of the next four years, cobbling together better teams top to bottom than they ever had under Flaherty. KBA has shown the ability to stomach the usual personnel losses yet keep the program on an upward trajectory. Michigan is in good hands. 

 

[JD Scott]

Looking Ahead to 2022-23

This was a very veteran team and as a result, it's going to look a bit different next season. Danielle Rauch, Emily Kiser, Amy Dilk, and Naz Hillmon were all seniors, and they are four of the seven players to average more than 15 minutes per night this season. Losing Naz is a hit you can't easily overcome. It's hard to snap your fingers and replace a player like that unless you're a program with monster recruiting who churns out WNBA talent, which Michigan is not at this time. The other pieces are more replaceable, though, and Michigan will need contributions from other places on the floor and in the lineup to try and replace Naz in the aggregate.

Leigha Brown was also a senior, but she has already announced that she will be coming back by using her COVIDshirt, which is a huge deal. The injuries clouded the picture of how good Leigha Brown was when healthy, but she's a 16-18 points per game scorer over the last two seasons when healthy, an important ballhandler and scorer who helps the offense flow. She gives Michigan veteran stability and a higher floor next year. Maddie Nolan returns as well, as she was a junior this year. Nolan is not a superstar but her shooting ability was very important on a team like Michigan, who were not always the best shooting the rock and did a lot of their work in the paint. You can still count on her as a catch-and-shoot gunner from beyond the arc. 

The last big returning piece is Laila Phelia. As a freshman, she was up-and-down, but the "up" was very exciting, flashing immense potential that her recruiting profile suggested. She boasts high athleticism and an ability to get to the rack and finish off the dribble unlike any other player that Michigan has. Phelia came on strong in certain games this season that provided a little taste of what she could be over the next three years. If you're making me take a stab at who will be the next superstar in the Flaherty/Hillmon mold, the answer is definitely Phelia. With Brown, Phelia, and Nolan, the Wolverines are in a pretty comfortable spot at the guard/wing spot looking ahead to next season. 

[JD Scott]

The front court is the area where Michigan is going to need some lesser known players to step up. Cameron Williams only averaged 6.7 minutes per night this season but she will now be entering her third season in the program and is a former highly-touted recruit. It's a lot to ask her to go from little-used bench piece to star, but if she can round into simply a solid starter, that's a very big development for the program. Izabel Verajão has had some bumps in her Michigan career, dealing with COVID-related travel issues back in 2020-21, but as a rising senior, she could be a candidate to become 2022-23's version of Emily Kiser as a role player who makes a jump in year four. We didn't see a ton of Taylor Gibson, but as a rising sophomore, she could be an option at forward too. 

Michigan brings in a three-player recruiting class, with Alyssa Crockett being the headliner as a top 50 recruit. Crockett is a 6'2" forward and is a candidate to get some real time in the frontcourt next season too. It's never easy to predict what a freshman is going to look like right from the jump, but you have to think she'll be in the mix. The bench will likely be a mix of some of these forwards I mentioned, in addition to Ari Wiggins, who didn't play much as a freshman but was a good recruit herself, and more veteran names like Michelle Sidor and Elise Stuck. It's also possible that if Michigan does lose all four pieces I've discussed (one could use a COVIDshirt) and only brings in three recruits, that they will raid the portal for a starting forward/center, just to take a little pressure off Williams/Verajão/Crockett, etc. 

It will be a different looking team but they should still remain a solid, competitive squad. Losing Naz is hard, but enough pieces return in the backcourt and there is enough raw potential in the Wiggins, Williams, and Crockett group to think this team should keep the NCAA Tournament streak going. That should be the bare minimum expectation for this new era of Michigan Women's Basketball that we're entering and there's no reason to think there will be massive declines so long as KBA is still in charge.