NC State knows Michigan guard Mila Holloway presents defensive challenges

NC State coach Wes Moore had watched Michigan a little bit during the season, particularly the Wolverines near upset against Connecticut, falling 72-69 on Nov. 21 in Uncasville, Conn.

Michigan finished the season 26-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten, and ranked No. 9 in The Associated Press top 25 poll. Five of Michigan’s losses were against top 13 teams when they played them — lost twice to Iowa, and also against UConn, Vanderbilt and UCLA.

NC State plays at No. 2-seeded Michigan at 1 p.m. today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve had a couple assistants working on Michigan all week,” Moore said. “They’re able to hand me scout clips, maybe 75 clips from about two or three games that they each watched. So that covers about six games for me.

“I think you look at how other people have defended and you obviously look and see scoring-wise who were effective slowing them down somewhat defensively.”

One player Moore did know well was Michigan sophomore guard Mila Holloway, who he offered July 26, 2023, after watching her play with CP3 Flames in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

“I think to me when you’re recruiting if you can get a player that can shoot 40 percent from three and be explosive to the rim, that’s a heck of a player,” Moore said. “They present matchup problems.”

The 5-foot-10 Holloway is third on the team with 12.6 points per game, plus 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists a contest, and is shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point land. She had a season-high 26 points in a 94-91 overtime win at rival Michigan State on Feb. 1.

“First of all she’s shooting 40 percent from three and has made the second most on the team,” Holloway said. “Then with her quickness and ability to get to the rim, that’s a tough matchup. So I think start there.

“She’s one of the top in the category of steals, so she makes plays on defense and gets them going in transition.”

Holloway signing with Michigan over high-major offers from NC State, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Clemson, wasn’t a surprise. Her mother went to Michigan and her grandfather played wide receiver for the Wolverines.

Holloway is the younger sister of Alabama junior guard Aden Holloway, who is embroiled with legal issues after getting arrested for felony drug charges. Aden Holloway went to Matthews (N.C.) Convenant Day and then La Porte (Ind.) La Lumierre and Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep. Mila Holloway played at Charlotte Chambers for two years before leaving the state for Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C.

Holloway helped Chambers reach the NCHSAA 4A state title game in 2022, her sophomore year. She struggled going 2 of 17 from the field for eight points in a 46-44 loss against Apex (N.C.) Friendship, which was led by current North Carolina guard INdya Nivar.

Holloway averaged 16.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game her senior year, and shot 42.0 percent on three-pointers her senior year at Legacy Early College.