The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 47 2025-26 BASKETBALL PREVIEW "You see teammates compete against each other everywhere for the spotlight, but we never had that issue," Barnes Arico said. "Players who were the best where they came from bought into the team dynamic and were unselfish. Every week, I'd look at Syla's, Liv's, and Mila's stats, they were always neck-and-neck. But they didn't care about points. They cared about wins. "I told Mila recently, 'You might need to take more shots this year.' She's an incredible scorer, but she's always thinking, 'How can I get my teammate a shot? How can we be the best Michigan team?' That unselfish attitude is what made us successful." Swords and Olson took to the Big Ten Network interview set after their head coach, raving about what each brings to the table. Swords was most impressed by the attitude that Olson brings to Michigan, while Olson praised her teammate's unselfishness. "Liv's a really special player," Swords said. "Every time she hits the floor, the intensity changes, in games and in practice. Whether it's a shooting drill or defense, she always goes her hard- est. Anytime we're picking teams, she's always my first pick. She's out there to win and pushes everyone to be better." Olson responded: "Syla's the most unselfish player I've ever played with. On and off the court, she's the best teammate you could ask for. The best player on the team isn't always the best leader, but she is. She pours into ev- eryone else, picks up teammates when they're struggling, then goes and hits the game-winner for Team Canada. I just love being her teammate." U-M will host an exhibition game against Ferris State on Oct. 30 be- fore opening the regular season Nov. 4 against Canisius at Crisler Center. ❏ No. Wolverine Pos. Ht. Class Hometown 1 Olivia Olson G 6-1 So. New Hope, Minn. Started all 34 games last season, averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest and was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the coaches and received All-Big Ten second-team honors. 2 Macy Brown G 6-0 Jr. East Grand Rapids, Mich. Appeared in 23 games off the bench, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game. Brown earned an Academic All-Big Ten nod last season. 3 Mila Holloway G 5-10 So. Charlotte, N.C. Made all 34 starts last season, averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 29.0 minutes per game, earning All-Big Ten honorable men- tion honors from the media. She set the U-M freshman mark for assists in a single season with 148. 5 Brooke Quarles Daniels G 5-7 Sr. Macomb, Mich. Appeared in all 34 games last season, scoring double digits five times and averaging 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. She also led the team with 56 steals, 1.6 per contest. 7 Jessica Fields F 6-1 Fr. Kennesaw, Ga. The four-star recruit and No. 97 overall prospect, according to ESPN, was a McDonald's All-American Game nominee, helping Mount Paran Christian School to three state titles in basketball and three in volleyball. Is the younger sister of New York Jets quarterback and former Ohio State star Justin Fields. 12 Syla Swords G 6-0 So. Sudbury, Ontario Started 33 games, averaging 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists en route to several postseason honors, including ESPN All-Freshman Team, Big Ten All-Freshman team and All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media. 15 Ashley Sofilkanich F 6-3 Jr. South Amboy, N.J. Bucknell transfer has two years of eligibility remaining after earning Pa- triot League Player of the Year and All-Patriot League first-team honors last season, averaging 19.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. 20 Alyssa Crockett F 6-2 Sr. Westfield, Ind. Played in 23 games off the bench after missing time due to injuries. She averaged 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per night. 21 Ally VanTimmeren F 6-2 Gr. Allendale, Mich. Former Boston College transfer appeared in 23 games off the bench, av- eraging 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per game last season. 22 Kendall Dudley G 6-2 So. Manassas Park, Va. UCLA transfer, former five-star recruit and 2024 McDonald's All- American appeared in 37 games as a freshman and made one start last season, averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest. 23 Ciara Byars F 6-2 Fr. Paris, Ky. No. 67 overall player in the 2025 class, per ESPN, and McDonald's All- American Game nominee, the first in George Rogers Clark HS history. 25 McKenzie Mathurin G 5-10 Fr. Broken Arrow, Okla. Four-star prospect, No. 39 overall recruit and McDonald's All-American Game nominee was Miss Oklahoma Basketball and set the Broken Ar- row High all-time mark for scoring, topping 2,000 points for her career. 33 Te'Yala Delfosse G/F 6-3 So. Ewing, N.J. Suited up for 24 games off the bench last season after missing time due to injury, averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per contest. 34 Aaiyanna Dunbar F 6-2 So. Murfreesboro, Tenn. Appeared in 10 games off the bench last season, averaging 0.8 points and 0.2 rebounds. 2025-26 Michigan Women's Basketball Roster Date Opponent Time (TV) Oct. 30 FERRIS STATE (exh.) 7 p.m. (B1G+) Nov. 4 CANISIUS 7 p.m. (B1G+) Nov. 9 HARVARD Noon (B1G+) Nov. 15 vs. Notre Dame^ 4 p.m. (NBC) Nov. 18 BINGHAMTON 7 p.m. (B1G+) Nov. 21 vs. UConn* 8 p.m. (FOX) Nov. 23 vs. Syracuse* Noon (FS1) Nov. 26 at Detroit Mercy 5 p.m. (TBA) Dec. 3 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 7 p.m. (B1G+) Dec. 7 PURDUE Noon (BTN) Dec. 13 AKRON Noon (B1G+) Dec. 21 OAKLAND Noon (B1G+) Dec. 29 at Oregon 9 p.m. (FS1) Jan. 1 at Washington 6 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 5 MINNESOTA 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 8 at Penn State 6 p.m. (B1G+) Jan. 11 WISCONSIN 2 p.m. (B1G+) Jan. 15 ILLINOIS 7 p.m. (Peacock) Date Opponent Time (TV) Jan. 19 vs. Vanderbilt% 2:30 p.m. (FOX) Jan. 22 at Rutgers 6 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 25 USC 2 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 29 at Indiana 7 p.m. (Peacock) Feb. 1 at Michigan State Noon (FS1) Feb. 4 NEBRASKA 7 p.m. (B1G+) Feb. 8 UCLA 3 p.m. (FOX) Feb. 12 at Northwestern 9 p.m. (Peacock) Feb. 15 MICHIGAN STATE 4 p.m. (FS1) Feb. 22 at Iowa TBA Feb. 25 at Ohio State 8 p.m. (Peacock) Feb. 28 MARYLAND 2:30 p.m. (FOX) Mar. 4-8 Big Ten Tournament$ TBA ^ Shamrock Classic, Detroit; * Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase, Uncasville, Conn.; % Coretta Scott King Classic, Newark, N.J.; $ Indianapolis; All times Eastern ❱ 2025-26 Michigan Women's Basketball Schedule