The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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72 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2025 BY ANTHONY BROOME H ead coach Kim Barnes Arico now stands alone atop the all-time Michigan basketball coaching leader- board after her team earned her 279th victory, a 70-67 win over Indiana on Feb. 12 in Ann Arbor. It snapped a tie with former men's head coach John Beilein, who had 278 wins in 12 seasons on the job. Barnes Arico and Beilein have stayed in touch over the years, and one of his biggest pieces of advice was to enjoy mo- ments like the milestone win at Crisler Center. "Coach Beilein has said to me ... 'You know, if there's one thing that I could do differently, if there's one thing that I could change, it would be to enjoy these moments,'" Barnes Arico said following the game. "Because, as coaches, win or lose, we go home and we don't sleep and we analyze every play. It's just a relief when you win. It's not really enjoyment. It's almost relief when you win and agony when you lose. "The joy that Coach Beilein was talk- ing about, that's what I face every day." Beilein, now an analyst on the Big Ten Network, took to social media to praise his former peer. "Congratulations to Kim Barnes Arico on becoming the winningest basketball coach in U-M history," he posted on Feb. 13. "She just wins and does so with class, hard work, great culture and fabulous stu- dent athletes! She can also really coach! Michigan women's basketball is blessed to have Kim in charge." Barnes Arico is in her 13th season at U-M, having won her first game on Nov. 9, 2012, a 70-62 victory over Detroit Mercy. The decision to move on from a decade at St. John's and getting away from the Big East was one that paid off. Barnes Arico has led U-M to six straight NCAA Tourna- ments, seven overall, topped thus far with an Elite Eight finish in 2022. "I felt like Michigan was going to give me an opportunity to compete against the best at the highest level and potentially win a championship," Barnes Arico said. "I did come to Michigan with the hopes of being able to stay here. I didn't want to come to Michigan and then try to get another job after that. "Michigan is home. I could've never imagined it, but there's no place I'd rather be." Senior guard Jordan Hobbs scored a ca- reer-high 24 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the record-setting victory over Indiana. "It's really cool [to see]," Hobbs said. "I'm the only one on the team who's been here for four years, so I've seen quite a few of those wins. She just means a lot to this program. She's been here [for 13 years], and she's just so consistent every single day. It doesn't matter what's going on in her life. She's bringing the same energy and intensity and expects us to work hard every single day. "That's why she's so successful. And it's just really cool to see the trajectory that Michigan has had since she has become a coach here." Sitting at 18-7 on the season follow- ing the Indiana game, there is plenty of program momentum to suggest the wins will not be slowing down anytime soon. A freshman class pulling its weight already, headlined by Syla Swords (who scored all 15 of her points in the fourth quarter against the Hoosiers while adding 8 re- bounds on the night), should play a major role moving forward. "It's really special to be a part of it, even though I'm stepping in as just a freshman," Swords said at the postgame podium. "Seeing the legacy that Michi- gan women's basketball has and know- ing that it has a winning culture, that's something I was always really excited to step into. "To be a part of the year that Coach Arico became the all-time winningest basketball coach here is really cool. And hopefully we can get her a lot more wins over the next four years." ❏ ❱ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Kim Barnes Arico Becomes Winningest U-M Basketball Coach 2024-25 MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time Oct. 27 Northwood (Exhib.) W, 81-52 Nov. 4 vs. South Carolina* L, 68-62 Nov. 8 Lehigh W, 86-55 Nov. 14 Central Michigan W, 99-62 Nov. 17 Oakland W, 88-42 Nov. 20 LIU W, 96-31 Nov. 24 Long Beach State W, 111-56 Nov. 29 vs. Belmont^ W, 68-58 Nov. 30 vs. Virginia Tech^ W, 76-65 Dec. 8 Northwestern W, 60-54 Dec. 14 Detroit Mercy W, 100-54 Dec. 17 Oklahoma# L, 72-62 Dec. 20 at Akron W, 96-55 Dec. 29 at USC L, 78-58 Jan. 1 at UCLA L, 86-70 Jan. 8 Ohio State L, 84-77 Jan. 11 at Purdue W, 87-60 Jan. 15 Washington W, 82-69 Jan. 18 Rutgers W, 87-71 Jan. 22 at Minnesota W, 70-65 Jan. 25 Michigan State L, 88-58 Jan. 29 at Wisconsin L, 82-75 Feb. 2 Oregon W, 80-48 Feb. 6 at Nebraska W, 78-60 Feb. 9 at Michigan State W, 71-61 Feb. 12 Indiana W, 70-67 Feb. 17 at Maryland (BTN) L, 85-77 Feb. 22 Penn State (BTN) Noon Feb. 26 Iowa (B1G+) 7 p.m. Mar. 2 at Illinois (B1G+) 1:30 p.m. Mar. 5-9 Big Ten Tournament** TBA All times Eastern; * Hall of Fame Series, Las Vegas; ^ Fort Myers Tip-Off, Fort Myers, Fla., on Women's Sports Network; # Jumpman Invitational, Char - lotte, N.C.; **Indianapolis Now in her 13th season at Michigan, Barnes Arico earned win No. 279 when her team ral- lied past Indiana on Feb. 12. She surpassed John Beilein as U-M's all-time winningest bas- ketball coach. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS