Olivia Olson finds her groove in exhibition matchup

There was a lot of buzz surrounding the Michigan women’s basketball team’s exhibition game against Northwood. But not for the reasons you might expect. 

The interest in Sunday’s game had nothing to do with questions regarding who would emerge victorious from the contest, but rather, who would be starting in it. Because in the Wolverines’ 81-52 win, they did something unusual for Michigan: They put three freshmen in their starting lineup. 

Each of these youngsters had the chance to start their collegiate careers off with a bang, and freshman guard Olivia Olson seized that opportunity. Working all angles of the court, Olson totaled a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds over the course of the matchup — leading the team in both categories. 

While Olson’s standout performance stole the show, she didn’t immediately hit the court running. In fact, Olson started the game 0-for-3 from the field before finally sinking a pull-up jumper late in the first quarter. 

“I was definitely nervous,” Olson said. “I mean, we all were, but it just went away once we started playing the first couple minutes.” 

Indeed, after notching her first points, Olson’s game slowly began to take form as the clock ticked into the second quarter. Though she totaled six points, her main contributions were on the boards. With four offensive rebounds, Olson played a vital role in earning extra possessions for the Wolverines — a skill she’s been honing in practice. 

To measure the intangibles, Michigan uses a system of “practice points.” These points keep track of stats that fall outside of your typical point-scoring plays. And when it comes to those, Olson has dominated, earning the majority of the practice awards. 

“I don’t know that any freshman has won consistently the way Olivia has won,” Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “… We want to say, ‘Okay, we’re the hardest working team in America.’ But how do you measure that? That’s our practice points. That’s our measuring stick.”

Sunday, those practice points translated onto the court as Olson consistently helped move the ball up and down the court. In moments where Michigan’s fast-paced offense seemed frantic, Olson remained steady. So when her opportunity came, Olson was ready, having settled into her groove.

Dribbling up the court in the third quarter, Olson evaded her defenders and drove her way into the paint to create an opportunity to score. After creating the necessary space, Olson watched her shot fall through the net for two more points for the Wolverines. 

With this shot, Olson tallied her fourth point of the quarter and surpassed freshman guard Mila Holloway as the leading scorer for Michigan with 14 — a total that continued to climb as she maintained the top-spot. 

“You guys saw it today, she just sacrifices her body, sells out,” Barnes Arico said. “… The way she played today is the way she practices. Everybody had the chance to see that today.”

Olson’s final contributions came in the form of free throws in the fourth quarter. Netting five of the six attempts, Olson helped the Wolverines earn some final points. 

With such a youthful team, there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding Michigan’s roster and the ways in which the freshmen will contribute. But if Sunday’s matchup can attest to anything, it’s that Olson has proved herself a more-than-worthy contender for a starting job — and a key role in the Wolverines’ offense.

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