Michigan women’s basketball snubbed from NCAA Tournament, earn bid to WNIT

Less than a month after being ranked in the Top 25 nationally, the Michigan women’s basketball team has been left out of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight season.

The Wolverines will play in the WNIT. Michigan has played in the WNIT during the last three years and have reached the Final Four during each of the last two seasons.

Believe it or not, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme had Michigan in the last four teams to make the tournament and as a No. 10 seed on Sunday night.

The committee included Big Ten Conference teams in Maryland (No. 3), Ohio State (No. 5), Michigan State (No. 9), and Purdue (No. 9) to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Monday.

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico led the team to a 22-8 record (11-5 B1G), but lost to Michigan State by 10 in their opening game of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. Arico was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

The Wolverines are led by junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, sophomore center Hallie Thome, and freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick. Flaherty averages 19.9 points per game, while Thome and Gondrezick have logged 15.2 and 15.1 points per game. Flaherty was named to the All-Big Ten Conference First Team.

The WNIT Championship will be played at 3:00 PM ET on April 1st. If Michigan gets hot, the Maize and Blue could win it all.