Yaxel Lendeborg will only spend one season in Ann Arbor, but the UAB transfer has gotten quite the crash course in Michigan’s rivalry with Michigan State. As he explained after the No. 3 Wolverines’ 83-71 win over the No. 7 Spartans in East Lansing on Friday night:
“"Man, so many DMs I was getting from Michigan fans just begging to win this game. You would think they're about to lose their life if we lose. I don't want to let those guys down,” Lendeborg told the media postgame.
The senior forward didn’t disappoint in his rivalry debut. Lendeborg led the way for Michigan with 26 points on 6/13 shooting and 13/15 from the free-throw line. He chipped in 12 rebounds and two blocks as well.
“Obviously, I know about the record between us. Since I committed here, I've been getting so much hate from Michigan State. So I really needed this as well, just to stick it to them and show them that Michigan is real."
Yaxel Lendeborg knows how much this win means to Michigan fans.
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) January 31, 2026
"Man, so many DMs I was getting from Michigan fans just begging to win this game. You would think they're about to lose their life if we lose. I don't want to let those guys down.
"Obviously, I know about the…
The win was Michigan’s first over Michigan State since February 18, 2023, and Dusty May’s first since taking over. The drought was even longer on the road. The Wolverines hadn’t won in the Breslin Center since January 13, 2018.
Yaxel Lendeborg etched his place in the Michigan/Michigan State rivalry
Michigan desperately needed to end Michigan State’s four-game head-to-head win streak and did it to cap off maybe the most impressive week any team has had all season. On Tuesday night, Michigan welcomed No. 5 Nebraska and handed the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season, 75-72.
It’s far from a guarantee, but with no ranked opponents over the next four games, Michigan will likely head into its next “monster week,” as May described this one, at 24-1. That week includes a roadtrip to West Lafayette to play the now No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers, then a home game against No. 4 Duke.
Those games will be just as important to Michigan’s seeding in the NCAA Tournament as this win over No. 7 MSU, but to the fanbase, they’ll pale in comparison. The same goes for the rematch in Ann Arbor on March 7 to end the regular season. Lendeborg quickly understood that, even in his short time on campus, that’s all that can be asked from a transfer.
College basketball is largely a sport of mercenaries in the Transfer Portal era, and that includes Michigan. But May has found a way to get his best transfers to buy into his program’s biggest games, and it seems that’s a recipe for a championship contender.
Lendeborg said it best, “Michigan is real.”