It was a see-saw battle and there was of course plenty of drama, but the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines were able to come out on top and send a statement to No. 8 Michigan State. Whenever these two teams face off, there's plenty of drama, but the Wolverines made some huge shots late and they pulled off the season sweep.
Michigan fans erupt at Jeremy Fears has another dirty play vs. the Wolverines
From start to finish, there were plenty of eyes on Yaxel Lendeborg and he did not disappoint. On the day, the Michigan playmaker finished with 27 points and he added three rebounds and three assists. Right after the final whistle, head man Dusty May was interviewed by CBS' Tracy Wolfson and had some words that the Michigan fanbase as a whole is going to love. Yup, May has no doubt in his mind that Lendeborg should be the Big Ten Player of the Year:
"I think it's pretty obvious why [Yaxel Lendeborg] is Big Ten POTY."
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 8, 2026
Dusty May says Yaxel can do it all on the court. @umichbball pic.twitter.com/bXI2G8ym8D
Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg should no question be the Big Ten Player of the Year
"I think it's pretty obvious why he's the Player of the Year," May said right after the Michigan win. "He does everything on the basketball court and he's incredibly unselfish while doing it. He's just scratching the surface of how good he can be."
If you're fired up after seeing that quote from May, you're not alone. This was a wire-to-wire game and emotions were running high. Michigan fans were pretty upset with Jeremy Fears, as he was caught red-handed with a dirty kick on Elliot Cadeau.
After the two teams settled down a bit, hoops fans everywhere were treated to a spectacular game. This is March after all. With the victory, the Wolverines have closed out the regular season with a 29-2 record - UM also has a ton of confidence leading up to the Big Ten Tournament and Lendeborg is a major reason for that.
The same can be said for the Big Dance, as the Wolverines currently hold the top odds to win it all according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. That's of course not going to be easy, as Duke, Arizona, Florida and many others are dreaming of cutting down the nets. Despite that, Michigan is playing at an elite level and Wolverines supporters everywhere are loving every minute of this unforgettable campaign. As for the Big Ten POY honor? Go ahead and give it to Yaxel - he's fully earned it.