Yaxel Lendeborg's heartfelt quote makes Michigan buzzer-beater even better

It's been a dream season for Michigan basketball fans. The Wolverines are 31-2 and one win from sweeping the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

Michigan still needs seven more wins. Dusty May set the goal to win nine before the postseason. The Wolverines are almost 1/3 of the way there, in large part because of Yaxel Lendeborg.

The Big Ten Player of the Year wasn't perfect on Saturday. But he was great when he had to be.

First, Yaxel Lendeborg drilled a 3-pointer before half to tie the game, after a sluggish start. Then, with the game on the line, Yaxel's dream of hitting a buzzer-beating shot came true.

"I have always dreamed of hitting a shot like that. Today was my moment to finally make it come true, and I did," Lendeborg said via CBS.

A special moment and a special season for Yaxel Lendeborg

Lendeborg could easily be playing in the NBA right now. The 6-foot-9 forward passed up the chance to be a first-round pick. The money is one reason Michigan convinced him. He's probably getting paid at a level close to what he would have made in the leauge, possibly more.

But it looks like the right decision. Yaxel's draft stock has certainly improved, and with a strong performance in the NCAA tournament, he could easily be a lottery pick.

Michigan's best player reflected on it all this afternoon, following the 68-65 win over Wisconsin.

"This has been the best year of my life, honestly." Yaxel said. "I've had so much fun. I've had a lot of learning points as well. Where I had a really bad game that I couldn't get out of my head. Today, for example, I was really down on myself in the first half because I felt like I was letting my team down. Coach was just letting me know that he has my back, regardless. This year in general has really helped me out, and it's really been molding me to be better in the future, no matter what I'm doing with my life."