There was no way Yaxel Lendeborg was missing the biggest game of his life. “I’m gonna play unless I can’t walk at all,” he said after playing the majority of the final four game against Arizona with an MCL sprain and tweaking his ankle. Lendeborg was not giving up, but at the same time the injuries weren’t helping either. The Wolverine star revealed some struggles after taking the team to the National Championship.
Lendeborg ultimately played through pain and injury. He led Michigan in minutes as the Wolverines held on for a 69-63 win to secure the program’s second national championship. Lendeborg had 13 points, 2 rebounds and an assist. It was not the usual night for Yaxel, who averaged 15.1 points,6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game coming into this title game. So, after the game, he admitted not making the best decisions.
“I was very tentative this game. I felt like I was holding our team down. I feel like we could have been up by way more early in the game and later on in the game. I kept having opportunities to make plays and I couldn’t make the play,” Lendeborg said after the game. “But these guys stuck with me no matter what. They all believed in me. I was trying to push through my mental and physical battle I was dealing with, but these guys really helped me out and helped me push through.”
He went 4-13 from the field, which is one of the worst numbers he has had this season. Lendeborg was clearly not at his best playing through some of the pain. Yet, he was giving it all. At halftime he gave probably the most honest interviews any player has ever given. “I feel awful. I’m super weak. I can’t make anything….I played super soft in this half,” Lendeborg said. He shot 1 of 5 from the field in the first half for 4 points with zero assists, rebounds, blocks or steals.
However, teammates could not afford losing Lendeborg. They needed him to try his best. “Yax is a very emotional guy, so I think it was my duty to push him to get out of his feelings,” Roddy Gayle said. “I felt like we needed Mad Yax, not Sad Yax.” And Mad Yax they got. Lendeborg had a much better second half. But more importantly, when he showed up mattered the most.
The scoreline was reading 56-45, UConn was creeping up for another comeback. The Duke game would have played in the back of both teams’ minds. However, that’s when Yaxel turned up the heat, he scored 7 points over a span of 90 seconds. In the process he scored a 3-pointer, put back his own miss while drawing a foul, and sank a pair of free throws to keep the Wolverines’ advantage at nine despite a couple of clutch UConn 3-pointers.
Even beyond those box score contributions, Lendeborg’s length was essential to their defense. They held UConn to shooting a season low 31%, in which Yaxel had a very important part to play. “He sprinted through screens even though his body didn’t feel like going,” Nimari Burnett said. “That just shows you his selflessness, his selfless nature to give to this team and help us win a national championship.” And Lendeborg took the opportunity to fire back at the haters as they cemented themselves as one of the best teams in college basketball.
Yaxel Lendeborg Calls Out “Keyboard Warriors” After Proving Himself Right
Back in November, the Wolverines dominated Gonzaga to win the Player’s Era Tournament. “Today was about putting the world on notice that we’re the best team in the nation,” Yaxel Lendeborg said after that win. At the time, many thought it was too early. There were many other competitors like Duke and UConn in the mix. Cut to today, those words have been proven right.
Lendeborg posted a photo with the trophy. “Shoutout to the keyboard warriors!
We champs baby!!!!! US against the world!!” Yaxel captioned his post. He has been criticized for his age and staying in college despite having a legitimate chance at the NBA last year.
Then the Michigan team was often called “mercenaries” because the entire starting 5 was built entirely out of the portal. The program spent millions to bring in the No. 1 rated transfer in last year’s portal class that included Lendeborg with Aday Mara, Morez Johnson and Elliot Cadeau.
“Hey man, they might still be calling us mercenaries, but we’re the hardest playing team in (college) basketball. We’re the best team in college basketball, and we want to be one of the greats ever,” Yaxel Lendeborg told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson on the court.
Yes, they are a team built out of the portal. But that is also the need of modern times. The NIL era has changed the game and the programs will fall behind if they don’t adapt. This win from Michigan has further shown that.
