Michigan’s first road game of the season brings a fresh wrinkle: the No. 2 Wolverines will meet Columbia for the first time ever on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, at Levien Gymnasium in New York. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and it opens the first of two New York City trips on Michigan’s schedule.
The matchup also gives Kim Barnes Arico another return to New York State, where she has strong ties and last coached in 2017. For Michigan, it is the next step after a 2-0 start that has already included an 86-49 win over LIU Brooklyn on Dec. 2, 2017, a 77-66 victory over then-No. 2 UConn on Nov. 5, 2026, and a 109-point outing against Wright State on Nov. 8, 2026.
A first meeting that starts a home-and-home series
This is not just a road game; it is the opening game in a home-and-home series between Michigan and Columbia. That matters because it gives the Wolverines a chance to establish control in a new matchup before the teams see each other again down the line.
Michigan has looked composed through its opening stretch, and the ranking tells its own story. At No. 2, the Wolverines have already shown they can handle elite opposition and score in bunches, which makes this trip a useful early test rather than a disruption.
Why New York matters for Michigan
There is also a personal layer to the trip. Barnes Arico is a Long Island native, and this will take Michigan back to New York State for the first time since 2017. That adds a familiar backdrop to a game that is unusual on the schedule simply because the programs have never met before.
There is another return storyline as well. Syla Swords is back in New York State after spending her final two years of high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran, which gives the trip even more local relevance for Michigan’s roster.
After Columbia, Michigan will return to New York City on Dec. 5, 2026, to face Oklahoma in the Champions Classic. But first, the Wolverines get Columbia, a first-time opponent in a first road trip that already carries more weight than a routine November visit.
