Michigan basketball starts the season in Las Vegas against No. 1 South Carolina

ANN ARBOR – Michigan faces the ultimate season-opening test with a revamped roster that could include three freshmen starters.

The Wolverines play No. 1 South Carolina, the defending national champions, on Monday night in Las Vegas (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

“At the end of last (season), I thought, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe we agreed to this,'” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said recently. “And then I called Syla (Swords) and Olivia (Olson) and they said, ‘Let’s go, Coach.’ This is great.’ We want to play against the best and compete with the best there is.”

South Carolina certainly qualifies. The Gamecocks posted a 38-0 record last season and outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points per game. That included a 12-point win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship, their second title in three years.

South Carolina lost star center Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA, but is returning 87 percent of its minutes and 84 percent of its points from last season. In the preseason AP poll, South Carolina received 27 of 30 first-place votes.

“It’s going to be a great competition for sure,” said Barnes Arico, “and a great benchmark to start the season.”

Michigan has only met No. 1 once before, losing 89-54 to Iowa on February 7, 1988.

See also: Michigan basketball’s elite freshmen are ready to make a “loud, immediate impact.”

On her radio show last week, Barnes Arico highlighted South Carolina’s size, toughness and athleticism. MiLaysia Fulwiley (a sophomore who plays like Russell Westbrook in his prime) and Te-Hina Papao form one of the best backcourts in the country.

Frontcourt starters Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin are among seven Gamecocks who are at least 6 feet tall (including two who are 6 feet tall). Freshman Joyce Edwards is the third-ranked recruit in the country, according to ESPN, and is one of three five-star prospects joining the program this season.

Barnes Arico knows South Carolina coach Dawn Staley well. They are the same age; Staley was in Philadelphia at Temple while Barnes Arico was at St. John’s in New York. Barnes Arico was an assistant to Staley in USA Basketball in 2014 and 2015 when the USA won two gold medals in FIBA ​​youth events.

Related: After the chaotic offseason, Jordan Hobbs is still here for Michigan basketball

“She’s one of the best trainers in the business,” Barnes Arico said. “But I am even more impressed with how she has used her platform and voice to fight for opportunities for women in the game. I think she really made a difference.” Barnes Arico’s daughter Cece Arico, a top-20 player in the 2027 class, has a scholarship offer from South Carolina.

Michigan traveled west on Saturday to adjust to the three-hour time difference, with plans to practice at the Aces’ practice facility on Saturday and at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. Monday’s game is part of the Hall of Fame Series, a doubleheader that includes a men’s game between Ohio State and Texas at 10 p.m. ET.

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