Down at halftime, there were certainly plenty of nervous Michigan fans out there. Was Alabama about to do the unthinkable and send the Big Ten champs home to Ann Arbor? For a little while, it looked that way, but in the second half, Michigan woke up at the right time and posted a 90-77 win.
Yaxel Lenderborg rips a disrespectful Nate Oats decision after Michigan's Sweet 16 run
What changed? Immediately after the final whistle, standout playmaker Yaxel Lendeborg joined Evan Washburn for a postgame interview and he made it clear the Wolverines started to play their game. In the first half, the Wolverines did the opposite, which was why they were trailing. After the break, though, it was time to get their hands dirty and attack the glass.
“We let them control the game for the first half,” Yaxel Lendeborg said. “We can’t get into an offensive match with these guys man, they’re all too talented. Labaron is one of the best guards I’ve ever played against, if not the best. We just had to slow the game down, get a little more physical and win the game in the paint.”
Yaxel Lendeborg was it has best when Michigan needed him against Alabama
Lendeborg didn't mince words there and this is something the Wolverines need to keep in mind with the Elite Eight up next. In the win over the Crimson Tide, the standout posted a team-high 23 points, going 8-of-12 from the floor - he was also 4-of-5 from 3-point land.
After the victory, Lendeborg said he thinks this group has what it takes to be the best Michigan team of all time. Dusty May, also on with Washburn, said that the Wolverines still are not playing their best basketball and they still have more gears they can reach.
As you can see, both May and Lendeborg have strong goals and they're ready for the doubters to keep getting silenced. Right now, there's a ton of talk around Duke and Caleb Foster and understandably so.
The Blue Devils took care of St. John's in a thriller, as countless fans are hoping a rematch between Duke and Michigan will be on the way, this time in the title game. First, though, Michigan needs to take care of business in the Elite Eight and that contest is something Lendeborg has surely already shifted his focus to.