ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Michigan standout guard Olivia Olson has watched film of the team's season-ending 77-41 loss to Texas in the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA basketball tournament "too much," at least 10 times.
She's not doing it to punish herself, but to recognize what went so wrong and ensure it won't be repeated the next time the Wolverines are on the tournament stage. Michigan made just its second-ever Elite Eight appearance, and with the core of the team returning, its goals are even higher.
"We're ready to take the next step," Olson said at Big Ten basketball media days. "We got to the Elite Eight and we played in that game, but it was not a close one. We have watched the film over and over again, more times than we can count, just to see what next step we need to take."
Olson identified physical toughness as an area Michigan must improve, while fellow guard Syla Swords cited a "prolonged, high-level IQ" that the Wolverines could sustain throughout games. Michigan produced only 21 first-half points in the Texas loss, continuing a theme of slow starts against top competition.
"If you can eliminate those slumps, the best teams in the country don't have those, and if they do, they're not for prolonged periods," said Swords, who averaged 14.6 points per game in 2025-26. "So whether it's a mental lapse, whether it's a physical lapse, this is something we have to eliminate."
Coach Kim Barnes Arico agreed that the loss to Texas was a learning experience. Barnes Arico said the team needs to be tougher physically and mentally.
"We need to learn from that game," she said. "What do we need to do to be in the Final Four? Some of that was like handling pressure and handling the physicality and handling the size and being able to get defensive stops when not being able to score. Our kids are students of the game. They want to get better, they want to grow, they want to learn."
Michigan returns a top group led by Olson, a third-team AP All-America selection who averaged 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season, and Swords, a fellow first-team All-Big Ten selection. The Wolverines tied the team record with 28 wins last season.
"Each person has individually gotten better with their IQ and overall game to take a bigger step," Olson said, "to hopefully a Final Four."