Although Michigan took a while to get going, they played their game. In doing so, they took N.C. State out of their comfort zone. The Wolverines played a joyful, dominant second half, beating the Wolfpack 92-63 in front of a raucous home crowd to advance to the third Sweet Sixteen in program history.

“We committed to Michigan to do this,” said Olivia Olson. “And we committed to Coach [Kim Barnes] Arico to do it for her and for each other. You could see how much fun we were having, and that's what it's about, and that's how close our team is.”

Nobody embodied the dual nature of this game more than Olson, who refused to allow a scoreless first half — her first of the entire season — to impact her confidence. She poured in 27 points on 9 of 14 shooting in the second half. Michigan scored 64 points in the final 20 minutes, evenly split with 32 in the third and fourth quarters. You may note that’s more than N.C. State produced in the entire game.

Olson led a magnificent performance from the sophomore trio that committed to Michigan as a group. Syla Swords led the offense through a rough first half and finished with 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Mila Holloway didn’t allow her own poor shooting to impact the way she ran the offense, ending the game with 13 points, nine rebounds, a team-best six assists, and only two turnovers.

“This will be another banner. Every team has a special place, and every team helped lay the foundation to where we are today,” said Kim Barnes Arico. “That sophomore core group of kids came because of what Naz Hillmon did. Naz Hillmon came because of what Katelynn Flaherty did and Hallie Thome did. They wanted their own legacy, but they wanted to be a part of what the Michigan faithful, the Michigan players did before as well.”