Olson leads Michigan past Louisville into Elite 8

FORT WORTH — If it was déjà vu for Michigan women’s basketball, it was the best kind: Where the situation seems familiar but turns out better.

The No. 2 seed Wolverines beat No. 3 Louisville 71-52 Saturday in the semifinals of the Fort Worth Regional 3, sending the Wolverines to just the second Elite Eight in program history. The first was in 2022, when Michigan lost to Louisville in the regional final in Wichita, Kansas.

That Michigan team had a core class of seniors then that included Naz Hillmon, the WNBA’s Sixth Player of the Year last season. This team has a core group of sophomores, all of whom could have WNBA futures. When the 2026 Wolverines left the Dickies Arena court Saturday, Hillmon and other Michigan alums were waiting there to celebrate with them.

“The vibe is very, very similar,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Naz’s class came in as a group of five, and they did things [with] Michigan women’s basketball that had never been done before.

“Naz has been around a lot this year. We retired her jersey, and it’s been great having her.”

Barnes Arico said Hillmon has especially helped mentor guard Syla Swords, one of the five sophomores who have played big roles for Michigan. On Saturday, Swords had 16 points, Te’Yala Delfosse had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Olivia Olson led the way with 19 points and five rebounds.

Two other sophomores, Mila Holloway (five points, seven assists) and Kendall Dudley (six points), also contributed. All but Dudley started their careers at Michigan; she transferred in this season from UCLA, with whom she went to the Final Four last year.

“We’re so connected, and it’s the whole team really,” Olson said. “It’s just the Michigan culture. We have a lot of people that flew in for this game, and it means a lot to us to be able to play in front of them.”

The Wolverines trailed 15-9 after the first quarter but took control of the game over the next two, outscoring Louisville 23-12 and 25-13. Louisville coach Jeff Walz lamented the Cardinals’ 35% shooting.

“At this time of the year you’ve got to be able to knock down open shots,” Walz said. “It was not a good performance at all by us. It was actually the worst we’ve had all year.”

But he also complimented the Wolverines, who finished tied for second in the Big Ten and have the distinction of playing No. 1 overall seed UConn, the closest of any team this season. Michigan fell to the Huskies 72-69 on Nov. 21.

Barnes Arico said she wasn’t looking forward to having to face the traditionally tough defense of Louisville again, having lost to the Cardinals back in 2022 to end that season and Hillmon’s college career.

“It feels so great to be on the other side [in this one],” Barnes Arico said.

Now, the Wolverines are one win away from their first trip to the Final Four.

“This sophomore class, they bought into that vision,” Barnes Arico said. “In this landscape of college athletics — with the transfer portal and NIL — we’ve got ourselves some old-school people who are really buying into development. Who still believes in that? I’m a lucky coach, because I have a group of young women that really, truly do.”