The Wolverine

November 2017*

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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60 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT O n the night of March 13, the Michigan women's basket- ball team waited to find out where it would be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. After finishing the regular season with a record of 22-9 and a third- place finish in the Big Ten, confi- dence was high that the Wolverines would be in the field. Yet school after school was inserted into the bracket and no Michigan. Despite the signs that pointed to making the tournament, the Wol- verines were left out and sent to the Women's National Invitational Tour- nament (WNIT). "I will never forget that day for the rest of my life and coaching career," Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "I think our team really put themselves in a position to be one of the top teams in the coun- try, so to not be selected to go to the NCAA Tournament was devastating news to our team and is something that will forever be with me." So, while not included in the Big Dance, Michigan made the most of its opportunity in the WNIT and rat- tled off six straight wins — including topping Georgia Tech in triple over- time in the championship game, held in Detroit — to do what no team in Michigan women's basketball history has ever done — hang a champion- ship banner. The team finished the season with 28 wins, a school record. "I still think about it every day, and I think we do as a team," se- nior guard Katelynn Flaherty said. "It was great how we ended the sea- son, winning, so I think that proved to other people that we should have been in the tournament. "We definitely think about it and it's the reason why we work so hard every day. Coach still talks about it all the time." Flaherty returns as the team's lead- ing scorer and is expected to do so again this season. Last year, she av- eraged 20.2 points per game. As a sophomore, she set a school record with a clip of 22.1 points per contest. She said missing the NCAA Tour- nament only further motivates this year's squad, which has goals of win- ning the Big Ten. "You have to be so good that they can't not put you in," Flaherty said. "You have to take every game se- riously. The Big Ten is a great con- ference, so every night — whether they're the best team or the worst team — you can go in and lose." Barnes Arico, who is entering her sixth year at the helm, has led Michi- gan to five straight 20-win seasons and is just 13 victories away from holding the record for most wins as coach. Sue Guevara is currently the all-time leader with 123. Motivated For More Driven By Last Year's NCAA Snub, The U-M Women's Hoops Team Looks To Hang Another Banner 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

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