Coming off the best season in program history, the Wolverines have their road map for this year.
The Michigan women’s basketball team released its full nonconference schedule on Wednesday (Sep. 7) in conjunction with the Big Ten releasing its slate.
Michigan will play 29 games: 18 Big Ten contests and 11 outside of the league. After a home exhibition on Nov. 5, the Wolverines open the 2022-23 season at home against Delaware State on Nov. 9.
They’ll play in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, from Nov. 25-27 (the weekend after Thanksgiving), facing Air Force first, then either Georgia Tech or USF before a potential championship game. Baylor and Villanova are also in the field.
As previously reported, Michigan visits Miami for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1 and plays North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational on Dec. 20, the night before the schools’ men’s teams face off.
The downside to the schedule? For the third year in a row, Michigan doesn’t host any marquee nonconference games.
In addition to Delaware State, St. Francis (Pa.), Western Michigan, Toledo, and Appalachian State come to Crisler Center. None of those teams play in major conferences.
Of course, nine Big Ten teams will visit Ann Arbor this winter. Which of those teams has been known since earlier this summer. The exact dates were announced on Wednesday.
Michigan’s Big Ten opener is Dec. 4 at home against Northwestern. The Wolverines visit rival and last season’s co-champion, Ohio State, on New Year’s Eve and host the Buckeyes on Feb. 20. They’ll play the other co-champ, Iowa, at home on Jan. 7. Michigan will play Michigan State on Jan. 14 in Ann Arbor and on Feb. 5 in East Lansing. Michigan wraps the regular season Feb. 26 at Wisconsin. The Big Ten Tournament will take place March 1-5 in Minneapolis for the first time.
Meghan McKeown, analyzing the conference schedule on Big Ten Network on Wednesday, deemed Michigan’s the toughest in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines went 25-7 last year and, for the first time ever, reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. They finished 13-4 in the Big Ten, coming up one win short of a share of the regular-season title (Michigan had a game canceled).
One of the program’s all-time greats, Naz Hillmon, is now in the WNBA, but Michigan returns starters Leigha Brown, Maddie Nolan, Laila Phelia, and Emily Kiser. Newcomers include Greta Kampschroeder -- a former McDonald’s All-American and transfer from Oregon State -- as well as two top-100 recruits.
Michigan’s entire 2022-23 schedule:
Nov. 5: Daemen (exhibition)
Nov. 9: Delaware State
Nov. 11: St. Francis (Pa.)
Nov. 16: Western Michigan
Nov. 20: at Fairfield
Nov. 25: Air Force*
Nov. 26: TBD*
Nov. 27: TBD*
Dec. 1: at Miami
Dec. 4 Northwestern
Dec. 8: Toledo
Dec. 17: Appalachian State
Dec. 20: North Carolina^
Dec. 28: at Nebraska
Dec. 31: at Ohio State
Jan. 3: Penn State
Jan. 7: Iowa
Jan. 10: at Purdue
Jan. 14: Michigan State
Jan. 19: at Rutgers
Jan. 23: Indiana
Jan. 26: at Maryland
Jan. 29: at Minnesota
Feb. 2: Illinois
Feb. 5: at Michigan State
Feb. 12: Nebraska
Feb. 16: at Indiana
Feb. 20: Ohio State
Feb. 23: Rutgers
Feb. 26: at Wisconsin
*Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida
^Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina