Michigan basketball looked like it was going to fall victim to another barrage of 3-point makes by the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, at least until the Wolverines buried two clutch treys of their own.
The first was from Elliot Cadeau. He gave the Wolverines late in the game. Wisconsin tied it right after, setting the stage for Yaxel Lendeborg in the game's final seconds.
YAXEL LENDEBORG WINS IT FOR MICHIGAN 👌@umichbball pic.twitter.com/GFZlzjGVii
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 14, 2026
The ball found him on the wing with time running out, and the Big Ten Player of the Year delivered his most iconic moment as a Michigan basketball player, sending the Wolverines to the Big Ten championship with a 68-65 win.
Michigan basketball overcomes hot-shooting Wisconsin to make Big Ten title game
The theme going into the game was 3-point shooting. Michigan had to contain the Badgers from deep, or so we thought.
Wisconsin made 15 3-pointers when it beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Badgers made 16 on Saturday, yet the Wolverines still found a way, despite a frantic second-half surge that saw Wisconsin make nine second-half 3-pointers.
Michigan struggled offensively. They shot 51 percent on 2-pointers. The 3-point shooting was an issue, too, until the second half, or even late in the first, when Yaxel made three late in the half to send the game into the break tied at 28-28.
A 3-pointer from Cadeau pushed the Michigan lead to 11 early in the second half, before the Badgers caught fire. It felt like Deja Vu, when they took a 62-60 lead late. Aday Mara scored down low. Then, two triples sent the Wolverines to Sunday at the Big Ten tournament for the second year in a row.
Michigan basketball now has the chance to sweep the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. They will play Purdue or UCLA. Mara was the top scorer with 16. Cadeau added 15 and Lendeborg pitched in with 12, including the biggest shot of his career, at least up to this point.