{"id":854914,"date":"2026-04-05T10:52:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854914\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T10:52:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:52:04","slug":"michigans-yaxel-lendeborg-wants-to-play-in-the-title-game-but-will-his-body-let-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854914\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan\u2019s Yaxel Lendeborg wants to play in the title game, but will his body let him?"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The biggest question following Michigan\u2019s 91-73 demolition of Arizona<\/a> wasn\u2019t how the Wolverines did that, but rather: Is Yaxel Lendeborg OK?<\/p>\n

And why was the Big Ten player of the year playing when the Wolverines had a comfortable double-digit lead, and he was obviously in pain, not moving well laterally?<\/p>\n

Well, for starters, good luck trying to keep Lendeborg out of the game.<\/p>\n

After rolling his left ankle and tweaking his left MCL in the first half, Lendeborg limped off the court and back to the locker room. He\u2019d played just five minutes in the first period, scoring five points. Part of that was early foul trouble. But when he landed awkwardly on an opposing player\u2019s foot, the collective Michigan fan base sucked in their breath.<\/p>\n

Lendeborg spent halftime getting re-taped and receiving physical therapy treatment. During the second half warmups, he jumped around the floor, wincing in pain. Then he told coach Dusty May that if Arizona got it under 20, he was going back in.<\/p>\n

Wait a minute, who\u2019s in charge here \u2014 the 23-year-old player or the 49-year-old coach?<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, I was in charge,\u201d said a smiling Lendeborg roughly 45 minutes after he\u2019d scored 11 points in the win, draining all three of his 3-point attempts. \u201cIt\u2019s my body, I gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n

May confirmed this on his walk back to the locker room, giving reporters a curt nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, just like at home,\u201d May quipped. \u201cI have no desire to be in charge. It\u2019s a group effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Yaxel<\/p>\n

\n Yaxel Lendeborg played in the second half despite his injury and made three 3-pointers total. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

And yes, Lendeborg plans to go Monday against UConn<\/a>, too. A national championship is what he came back for \u2014 you think he\u2019s sitting out now?<\/p>\n

He knows that people in his circle \u2014 most notably his mom and his agent \u2014 might not trust his judgement. Midway through the second half, when Lendeborg again insisted on subbing in, he turned behind the bench where his family<\/a> was sitting and told them, \u201cI have to, I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I\u2019m going in there,\u201d he said afterward. \u201cThey can\u2019t stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lendeborg told reporters he hadn\u2019t yet had an MRI but was planning one for early Sunday. Adrenaline carried him through the game, but close to an hour afterward he said that was \u201cgoing away, so I definitely feel the pain now. During the game I didn\u2019t feel it, but man, it doesn\u2019t feel too good right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

May defended his decision to play Lendeborg late, citing the East Regional final last week when Duke blew a 19-point lead, losing to UConn on a buzzer-beater.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re playing Arizona, statistically, the No. 1 or 2 team all year in the country, and you\u2019re up with 20 with 10 minutes left, with eight and a half minutes left,\u201d May said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t feel quite as confident as you guys did that we could just put the kids to bed. He came in and \u2026 held it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Well apparently you guys missed the UConn-Duke game.” \ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n

Dusty May explains why Yaxel was in the game late in the second half. #MarchMadness<\/a> @umichbball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/o9ZtIZPVlH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Lendeborg roamed the perimeter in the second half, declining to drive to the rim. He drained both his attempts from deep, scoring six points in nine minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cShooting those 3s, I just wanted to get a little confidence and feel a little better,\u201d he said. \u201cI was definitely afraid of going in the paint. I might be afraid Monday, too, but as long as the shot\u2019s falling, man, I\u2019m gonna give it my all.\u201d<\/p>\n

His teammates weren\u2019t surprised he came back \u2014 though they were stressed initially.\u00a0\u201cHe knew that we needed him and he stepped up,\u201d said Elliot Cadeau, adding that he was \u201cdefinitely nervous\u201d when he first saw Lendeborg go down.<\/p>\n

Lendeborg was scared, too \u2014 and angry. He appeared to hurt his leg when he landed on the foot of Arizona center Motiejus Krivas. He started hopping around, hollering in pain. He said in the immediate aftermath, his mind raced with images of other great athletes who suffered major injuries on the biggest stage.<\/p>\n

Overwhelmed with frustration, he cried out a few times because \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to express myself in the moment.\u201d Back in the tunnel, he started crying, terrified his season might be over. Michigan\u2019s trainer, Chris Williams, assured him it would be OK.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very emotional,\u201d Lendeborg said. \u201cHe was trying to calm me down. He\u2019s always a goofy guy, but this time he wasn\u2019t too goofy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yaxel envisions the next 45 hours as \u201ca lot of treatment, a lot of time with my trainer \u2026 which I\u2019m not going to like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting on a folding chair outside the Wolverines\u2019 locker room with a large ace bandage wrapped around his left knee, he stood up to walk back inside. He wore a big smile and a noticeable limp.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter. And it won\u2019t on Monday either.<\/p>\n