It's a tribute to the job Sue Guevara has done in three years that her team was not expected to fall off the side of the earth after the graduation of one of the top players in the program's history, Pollyanna Johns.  It's more of a tribute to her that they didn't.

In a league of young teams, the Wolverines were one of the youngest. They returned starting perimeter players Anne Thorius, Stacey Thomas and Ann Lemire, but they had to replace their power players from 1997. Freshman center Raina Goodlow suffered a knee injury in December and she wasn't able to make the contribution Guevara had expected.

Michigan was a team built around its perimeter players.  Thomas, Thorius, Lemire, Alayne Ingram and Kenisha Walker gave the Wolves solid play from the outside.  But Michigan was not able to get a significant contribution from its post players.

Thomas and Thorius were the teams best players, but both were better defensively than offensively. Overall, Thomas may be the best individual defender in the Big 10, but her offensive output was very erratic.

Michigan was one of the more athletic teams in the league and the Wolverines used this athleticism, and the individual talents of Thomas, to become one of the better defensive teams in the conference. But Michigan's offense was very inconsistent. Only three teams had fewer three-point goals than the Wolverines and they had virtually no inside game. Michigan finished last in the league in assists.

Michigan lacked consistency all year.   They sometimes played better on the road than at home. They went 4-4 on the road, which should translate into a solid record, but they were only able to match that record at home.

The only senior on the team, Lemire, provided a distraction instead of a help as she was suspended twice.

Ultimately, the Wolverines finished in the middle of the statistical pack in most categories, and they finished in the middle of the pack in the standings.

 

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