We’re getting spoiled.

It had been a whole four years since the previous best season in Michigan women’s basketball history. The 2025-26 squad earned that honor with a program record-tying 28 wins, the only time they’ve surpassed 25 without a deep run in the NIT, and their second-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.

Other program bests from this season include:

There has never been a better time to be a Michigan WBB fan, especially as the program’s best-ever recruiting class enters their upperclass years. Before I start looking ahead to what hopefully will be the next best year ever, I wanted to look back and appreciate this one.

I’ll cover my 10th through 6th favorite things about the 2025-26 season in this post, then count down 5-1 next week.

Until UConn’s loss to South Carolina in the Final Four, only one team played them within single digits during their preceding 54-game winning streak: Michigan, in November, at the Connecticut Sun’s home arena.

It didn’t look like the Wolverines would be competitive for much of the game; they were behind by as many as 20 points early in the second half. Then sophomore Syla Swords locked in. In the final 15:33 of game time, Swords drilled six three-pointers, twice bringing U-M back from double-digit deficits to put a massive scare into the nation’s #1 team.

Three of those triples occurred in the game’s final minute, providing the most thrilling moment of the season. Unfortunately, the comeback fell three points short with a turnover on U-M’s final possession. A different outcome could’ve shot this as high as the very top of the list. Even with a loss, though, this game was a huge statement about the quality of the team, their resilience, and Swords’ shooting prowess.

As anyone who watched this season is acutely aware, providing quality play-by-play commentary is hard, as is compelling analysis. It’s difficult enough in a two-person booth on television, when viewers can see the action. Radio, particularly solo, is a different beast.

When I was stuck without internet access or television that couldn’t be picked up by antenna, I found out Michigan had one of the best in Matt Park, the one-man radio booth for home and away games.

This was the time of year when many of Michigan’s games were shunted off to Big Ten Plus, the video streaming service featuring student and local commentary teams that often distract from the action more than describe it. Park’s broadcasts, on the other hand, were immersive — I could close my eyes and feel like I could see the game.

I usually resign myself to watching games with whatever commentators are provided. After hearing Park, though, I’m probably going to sync up the radio to BTN+ streams as much as I can next year, and maybe some traditional TV games as well. I’d suggest you do the same.

While Dusty May has the championship ring in Crisler Center, his Jordan-issued quarter-zips are no match for Kim Barnes Arico’s array of sweaters and the occasional jersey when it comes to sideline style.

KBA’s apparel deal with Ferne Boutique — this isn’t an advertisement but I’m open to sponsorship opportunities — provided her with enough eye-catching sideline wear to inspire an entire sixteen-sweater bracket from Hockeybear. The team-branded outfits were much more fun and interesting than the standard fare without venturing into garish Kim Mulkey territory.

I loved seeing KBA pay tribute to the trio of Michigan jersey number honorees this season by wearing their jerseys, especially her former charge Naz Hillmon and the iconic 00. She also honored her late brother and father with a new tradition of donning softball or baseball uniforms during the Sweet Sixteen:

KBA is already among the best coaches in the country; she’s also rising up the ranks of sharpest-dressed. The tributes are a particularly nice, personal touch.

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You’re excused if you memory-holed the first half of Michigan’s second-round NCAA Tournament game against N.C. State, a 28-25 slog in which U-M shot 12-for-37 and got zero points out of Olivia Olson. It was not a fun watch.

The Wolverines came out of the tunnel looking like an entirely different team. They pressed, trapped, and shot their way to back-to-back 32-19 quarters in the second half, turning a stressful elimination game into a blowout.

The stars shined particularly bright: Olson poured in 27 (twenty-seven!) second-half points while Swords added 17. U-M’s nine second-half steals helped lead to 23 points off turnovers as they ran the Wolfpack off the court. It was a display of Michigan’s signature style at its most effective.

The first-half tension gave way to euphoria, and we were treated to the ESPN broadcast ending as Brooke Quarles Daniels danced in the middle of a circle of her teammates. The only reason this one doesn’t rank higher is that N.C. State was missing star guard Zoe Brooks, turning a game Michigan was expected to win into a game they were expected to win comfortably.

Senior Day 2026 was delightful for a number of reasons. Olson opened the game with eight straight makes from the field on her way to 29 points. Michigan pressured Maryland into 21 turnovers, led by three steals from Daniels, who also induced the biggest cheer of the day by blocking 6’3” Terps forward Isi Ozzy-Momadu:

Alyssa Crockett, a member of the “Quad Squad” — the four players who stayed in the program after the 2023-24 season — was honored as one of the seniors. At halftime, Katelynn Flaherty’s #3 was raised to the rafters.

For the Senior Day feelings, nothing hit for me quite like a late appearance by Ally VanTimmeren, a Michigan native who transferred to U-M for her last two seasons after suffering a major knee injury at Boston College.

VanTimmeren never had as significant a role at U-M as she had at BC, where she started 28 games over three seasons. Her bulky knee brace was a reminder that her college career surely didn’t go as she planned after coming out of high school as a four-star prospect.

With Michigan cruising to a win, however, VanTimmeren got a moment. Macy Brown found her in the post with a great entry pass that led her into a layup. If you look at the GIF above, you can see not only the bench standing and cheering, but Swords running back on defense with both arms raised in celebration.

That play is what a tight-knit team like Michigan, and Senior Day, is all about.

Next week: My five favorite things from this season.

Photo credit: David Wilcomes/MGoBlog