INDIANAPOLIS — For a moment there,Michiganlooked in trouble.
All-America forward Yaxel Lendeborg picked up his first foul 72 seconds into theFinal Four matchup against Arizonaand then was whistled for another just five seconds later, sending the senior to the bench.
Worse yet, Lendeborg began favoring his left leg after landing awkwardly with nine minutes left in the half, which forced him to enter the locker room for treatment. After returning to the Michigan bench with five minutes left in the first half, Lendeborg was again escorted through the tunnel. He ended up playing a season-low 14 minutes, though he poured in 11 points in this limited duty.
"I had to calm down a little, speak to myself, get out of my thoughts," Lendeborg said of the injury. "I didn't feel like I was going to be OK. I was definitely really worried."
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Losing your star and your leader early in the national semifinals would be a doomsday scenario for nearly anyone in college basketball — just not these Wolverines.
Even without Lendeborg making his usual impact, theWolverines rolled to an impressive 91-73 winagainst the Wildcats and will meet Connecticut in Monday night's championship game.
The win is proof of a key point about this team: Michigan is more than the sum of its parts, with a powerful supporting cast that more than overcame Lendeborg's absence and could clearly do the same if he's limited against the Huskies.
"We're an unselfish team," forward Joe Tschetter said. "It can be anybody's night on any night. That's what we've showed all year."
Five players scored in double figures. Six of the seven players who logged the most-significant minutes outside of garbage time scored at least nine points. The Wolverines assisted on 22 of their 33 made field goals. They forced 14 turnovers. A lengthy and aggressive defense held Arizona in check from start to finish, stymieing what was one of the nation's top-scoring offenses.
"With our depth, it allows us to be able to pick up where he left off, especially being able to plug in other guys in different areas," guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. "And everyone feels comfortable in that."
Taking on a beefier role, center Aday Mara scored a career-best 26 points while making 11 of his 16 attempts. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Point guard Elliot Cadeau had 13 points, 10 assists and 4 steals. Despite dealing with foul trouble of his own, guard Trey McKenney had 16 points and was a team-best plus-22 across his 27 minutes of playing time off the bench.
"That shows how much versatility we have in this group," said Lendeborg. "Aday's been dominating all year. So I'm super happy that he did his thing today, tonight. Trey had a big game, man. We talked about this a lot. We spent a lot of time together, so I'm really happy for the (freshman). As long as we continue to keep playing team basketball, we should be in good shape."
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On the defensive end, Mara keyed a suffocating effort that held Arizona to a season-worst 36.6% shooting and forced 14 turnovers, leading to 19 second-chance points.
"Aday was sensational," coach Dusty May said. "He was at the rim, catching lobs. He was a force down low. He was a pressure release up top. I mean, he's such a smart basketball player."
Teammates didn't realize the extent of Lendeborg's injury until halftime; for one, Gayle thought he'd just been taken out because of his foul trouble and remained out of the rotation as Michigan built a double-digit lead.
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Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournamentat Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.
Clued into the situation in the locker room, the Wolverines rallied around their senior leader: Let's do this for Yaxel, Gayle said to the team.
But when Michigan exited for the second half with a 16-point lead, there was Lendeborg back on the court, in the lineup despite the double-digit advantage and the possibility that he could further aggravate his injury — causing him to not only miss the championship game but also potentially damage his NBA draft stock.
He drilled a 3-pointer to push Michigan's edge to 53-32 with 17:47 to play, and then added another a minute later. That put the Wolverines in front 56-34 and sent a pro-Michigan crowd at Lucas Oil Arena into a frenzy.
"I think it just shows the guy who Yaxel is," McKenney said. "I mean, he just wants to put it all on the floor for Michigan, and he wants to give the fans what they came here for. I'm just really grateful to have him as a teammate. He's one of the best players in the country and he showed that tonight. But he's selfless as well."
Lendeborg would be removed from the game with 13:30 to play but asked to be reinserted about six minutes later after Arizona had gone on a 15-4 run. When he was taken out with 5:19 left, Michigan had an 86-64 lead and was on cruise control into Monday's final.
"I felt like they were making sort of a run and I wanted to kind of neutralize it," he said. "I wanted to be the guy who helps out. I didn't want to sit out when my teammates needed me."
Whether Lendeborg plays against Connecticut will be the dominant storyline heading into the championship game. "I want to play on Monday," he said.
Even if Lendeborg is available, there will be questions about his ability to produce on one healthy leg against an opponent that's allowing just 65 points per game in this tournament and held Illinois to just 19 of 56 shooting from the field in a 71-62 win.
But few teams — maybe the Huskies in 2024, but not many others — will enter the championship with this much confidence. Facing a fellow No. 1 seed with an equal amount of NBA talent and an equally explosive offense, the Lendeborg-less Wolverines advanced out of the national semifinals with ease.
"This game was very indicative of how this group has played throughout the season, unselfish basketball," May said. "A connected group who defends, gets out in transition and then shares the basketball."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Yaxel Lendeborg injury doesn't stop Michigan domination of Final Four