They said all the right things, made all the right moves. The Michigan women’s basketball team, this season, truly seemed happy to be in the WNIT.

But don’t think it’ll remain that way for long.

If there’s one thing Michigan can learn from this season - probably one of the best in an uninspiring history of a woebegone program - it is that the Wolverines have the makings of a young, formidable nucleus that can improve at a fast rate.

“We were happy with the WNIT berth and the run we made, but now we’re ready to take that next step and make the NCAA tournament,” freshman guard Jenny Ryan said. “There’s something more that you want to go, and the NCAA tournament is that for us.”

For the first time in a while surrounding Michigan basketball, that goal is rooted more in realism than fantasy.

Picked last in the Big Ten to start the season, Michigan did finish the season last in one aspect.

The Wolverines were the last Big Ten team to be playing basketball in 2009-10. It may have been the WNIT, a collection of teams not quite good enough to compete for a national championship, but it also marked the latest end date for a season in program history.

That can be considered progress for a basketball program with no tradition, few fans and a young core that wasn’t expected to do much.

“We’re going to decide how we’re going to finish,” junior guard Veronica Hicks said through tears after Miami ended Michigan’s season, 76-59, in the WNIT semifinals.

They finished with a flourish, winning four straight postseason games. The number is significant. In all its history prior to this year dating back to 1973-74, Michigan had won four NCAA or WNIT games total.

“This kind of year is obviously something to build on,” Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. “And I don’t think we’re anywhere where we need to be.”

The Wolverines, for the first time in their history, would like to become a consistent NCAA tournament participant instead of a surprise team on Selection Monday.

Doing what Michigan did - winning four WNIT games and the closest one by 15 points before running into Miami - will help with that.

So will the motivation, Ryan said, of being so close to playing in the NCAA tournament this year.

“It’s confidence and it’s motivation that we didn’t get into the NCAA tournament,” Ryan said. “Because you always want to do better and strive for the highest goals and we fell short.  You’ve got to get there, and that’s where it leaves us now.”

Falling short might be OK this year, because if Michigan’s run allowed for one thing, it is this:

Hope.

“A year like this, obviously, hopefully makes some people stand up and take a look at our program and say ‘Hey, they are for real. These guys are for real,’” Borseth said. “Recruits will look at and say this is a viable option for them to come here and to be competitive on a national level, that’s what we are, a national university and we should be able to compete on that level.

“Years like this, hopefully we can use to build that.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.