Women's Basketball

No. 15 Holy Cross to Take on No. 2 Michigan in NCAA Women’s Basketball First Round (3.15.26)

Crusaders travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the Wolverines on Friday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross (23-9, 14-4 PL), the 2026 Patriot League champion, earned a No. 15 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. The Crusaders will face No. 2 Michigan in the first round at Crisler Center on Friday with streaming info and game time to be announced.

Holy Cross and Michigan have met three times previously, with the Crusaders holding a 2-1 edge. The teams last met in 2001.

Third-team All-Patriot League selection and 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament MVP Kaitlyn Flanagan led the Crusaders to their 14th Patriot League Championship and first under head coach Candice Green.

Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines (25-6, 15-3 Big Ten) fell in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, losing to No. 2 Iowa. Michigan posted a 14-1 home record and earned the highest seed in program history. The Wolverines will make their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in the last nine seasons. Michigan is led by three double-figure scorers, Olivia Olson (19.2 points per game), Syla Swords (14.5 points per game) and Mila Holloway (12.4 points per game), and is anchored defensively by 2025 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Ashley Sofilkanich (1.1 blocks per game).

Patriot League History as a No. 15 Seed
  • No. 2 Old Dominion 83, No. 15 Holy Cross 56 (1995-96)
  • No. 2 Rutgers 91, No. 15 Holy Cross 70 (1999-2000)
  • No. 2 Baylor 80, No. 15 Bucknell 56 (2001-02)
  • No. 2 Ohio State 86, No. 15 Holy Cross 45 (2004-05)
  • No. 2 Tennessee 102, No. 15 Army West Point 54 (2005-06)
  • No. 2 Auburn 85, No. 15 Lehigh 49 (2008-09)
  • No. 2 Maryland 59, No. 15 Navy 44 (2011-12)
  • No. 2 Kentucky 61, No. 15 Navy 41 (2012-13)
  • No. 2 Maryland 93, No. 15 Holy Cross 61 (2022-23)
  • No. 2 Duke 86, No. 15 Lehigh 25 (2024-25)
 ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.