Michigan fans thought they saw their National Championship dreams limp off the court when star player Yaxel Lendeborg went down with both an ankle and knee injury during the first half of the Final Four matchup vs. Arizona. However, quite the opposite happened; Michigan took even more of a commanding lead without Lendeborg on the court.
In the second half, Lendeborg returned to the bench and even to the game, much to the dismay of many fans. Even though Michigan fans love seeing Lendeborg on the court, with a commanding lead, they felt there was no point in jeopardizing his injuries any further.
Mid-game reports said that Lendeborg rolled his ankle and, at worst, had a sprained MCL, which was the best-case scenario with the knee injury. It was clear that Lendeborg was not 100% when in the game, but some big shots had fans feeling better about his return.
After the game, Lendeborg spoke with sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, and he made it clear where he stands on playing in the National Championship.
"It’s a weird feeling to have the pain I’m having right now,” Lendeborg said. “I’ve never experienced it before. Coach said at worst it’s like an MCL sprain, and then obviously I rolled my ankle, so I mean there’s that, but I’m going to push through. There’s no way I’m missing the game on Monday night, no matter what goes on. I’m going to play unless I can’t walk at all.”
"I'm gonna play unless I can't walk at all."@umichbball leader Yaxel Lendeborg w/ @tracywolfson after advancing to the National Championship Game pic.twitter.com/zbLQnKHxBv
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 5, 2026
Close to nothing will keep Yaxel Lendeborg from playing in the National Championship
Yaxel Lendeborg has waited his entire life and his entire college career to get to this point of playing in a National Championship game. This was exactly why he chose to come to Michigan, and now all those dreams are coming true.
Granted, Lendeborg probably wishes he wasn't dealing with both an ankle and knee injury heading into the biggest game of his career to this point, but it certainly isn't going to stop him.
Lendeborg only played 14 minutes vs. Arizona, but even in such a short amount of time, he still had 11 points, five from before the injuries and then two three-pointers after coming back onto the court. It is clear that nothing short of physically being unable to walk is going to keep Lendeborg from this game, but that could still be worrisome for head coach Dusty May and Michigan fans.
UConn will bring an entirely new set of problems for Michigan, and if Lendeborg isn't 100%, Dan Hurley could certainly expose that. May will have to be careful with Lendeborg, as it could affect team play as a whole on the court if he is unable to move like he normally would, especially defensively.
With a day and a half to truly rest and recover, Lendeborg will be working hard to get as ready as possible for the biggest game of his career, and hopefully bring Michigan a basketball National Championship for the first time since 1989.