College basketball might need to start having voters hold their ballots for the Naismith Award until after the season, espeically after the way Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg has played in March.
Throughout March Madness, or at least in the past three games, Yaxel Lendeborg has looked like the best player in college basketball to the point that if voters have cast their ballots already, they will have regrets.
No disrespect to Duke's Cameron Boozer, who is going to win the award. He deserves it. He was better in the Blue Devils' win over Michigan in February.
But Lendeborg has taken his game to another level over the past two weeks. When it was needed against Saint Louis in the second round, he took over. Alabama was hanging with Michigan in the Sweet 16 until Lendeborg started dominating on both ends of the floor.
Lendeborg only scored nine points in the first game against Howard, but he didn't really need to assert himself in that game. He followed that up with 25 points (9-of-13 shooting), six rebounds, and two assists against the Billikens.
Yaxel Lendeborg has been the best player in March Madness
Yaxel was even better against Alabama, with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. He made 75 percent of his shots (8/12) and was 4-for-5 from deep. As hard as it is to believe, the Michigan basketball star was even better on Sunday.
Aday Mara and Morez Johnson were each in foul trouble. Michigan needed Yaxel to be Yaxel.
The future first-round pick responded with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He made three shots from deep, had seven boards, four assists, two blocks, and a steal. Over a three-game stretch, Lendeborg has averaged 25 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.25 assists, a block, and a steal, all while shooting 61 percent from the field overall, and 50 percent from 3-point range.
That's in addition to being an extremely versatile defender. He was critical on that end of the floor, too, and if the Naismith vote were held today, it's hard to believe that anyone but Yaxel Lendeborg would walk away as the winner.