Michigan against Louisville with a Trip to the Final Four on the Line

PRESS RELEASE: Michigan Athletics

NEXT GAME
Monday, March 28 
— vs. Louisville – NCAA Elite 8 (Wichita, Kan.), 8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN | Live Video | Live Stats
Gameday Central | Tournament Experience | NCAA Bracket
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 3-seed University of Michigan women’s basketball team (25-6) will face No. 1-seed Louisville (28-4) in the Wichita Regional final on Monday evening (March 28) at INTRUST Bank Arena. The game is set for 8 p.m. CT and will air live on ESPN as Michigan tries to advance to its first-ever Final Four.

Wolverine Notes

• Michigan is making its first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight after knocking off No. 10 seed South Dakota, 52-49, on Saturday (March 26). U-M has won five NCAA Tournament games over the last two seasons, accounting for half of the program’s all-time NCAA Tournament victories.

• Michigan’s defense has shown up in the NCAA Tournament, as U-M has held all three opponents under 50 points. The Wolverines started with a 74-39 win over American (March 19) and followed that up with a 64-49 victory over Villanova (March 21) in Ann Arbor to advance to the regional rounds. Michigan held South Dakota to just 49 points in the Sweet 16 game (March 26). For the NCAA Tournament, U-M is allowing just 45.7 points per game on 32.9 percent shooting and holding a +12.0 advantage on the glass.

• Michigan and Louisville are facing off for the second time this season and the fourth time in the last five seasons, with the previous three games played at the KFC Yum! Center. It is the first time Michigan is facing a non-conference opponent twice in the same season since the 2016-17 campaign when U-M knocked off Georgia Tech twice — coming in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the WNIT championship game.

• After the Big Ten sent four teams to the Sweet 16, Michigan is the lone conference team still standing. It is the second straight season that the Big Ten has had a team in the Elite Eight after Indiana advanced last season. The Wolverines are the last Big Ten team – men or women – still playing in the NCAA Tournament.

• The No. 1-seed Louisville Cardinals got a 76-64 win over Tennessee (March 26) to advance to the Elite Eight. UL is averaging 72.5 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting while allowing 55.3 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting. Louisville has a trio of double-figure scorers in Hailey Van Lith (14.3 ppg), Emily Engstler (12.0 ppg) and Kianna Smith (11.9 ppg). 

• Louisville is in at No. 4 in the last Associated Press poll of the season, marking Michigan’s 11th top-25 opponent of the season. U-M is 8-2 against top-25 teams this season with wins over Maryland (twice, No. 8 and No. 13), No. 16 Oregon State, No. 5 Baylor, Ohio State (twice, No. 22 and No. 25), No. 5 Indiana and No. 21 Iowa. Michigan’s eight wins over top-25 opponents is the highest single-season total in program history, topping the five ranked wins during the 2000-01 campaign.

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