Michigan men’s basketball head coach Dusty May told reporters at the pregame media conference on Monday he expects AP First Team All-American Yaxel Lendeborg to play in Monday’s national championship game against UConn after an MRI came back clean.
May said Lendeborg underwent imaging after injuring his knee and ankle against Illinois and the results showed no structural damage. He added that the final decision will ultimately be made by Lendeborg and Michigan’s medical staff.
Lendeborg twisted his ankle during the first half after an awkward landing on a drive to the basket. He briefly exited to the locker room before returning in Michigan’s 91-73 Final Four blowout victory over Arizona. He finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 15 minutes.
Limited mostly to a spot-up role, Lendeborg scored nine of his points from beyond the arc, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. At 23 years old, Lendeborg is one of the older players in college basketball. May joked that he played like that yesterday after his injury.
“He played the second half like a 38-year-old at the YMCA,” May said. “A really good 38-year-old at the YMCA.”
Chris Williams, Lendeborg’s trainer, reportedly said his knee looks good structurally and all his ligaments are strong. He mentioned that Lendeborg has a low-grade MCL sprain and a small bone bruise but he still expects him to play. Williams is optimistic and hopes Lendeborg will show the agility and athleticism of an 18-year-old on Monday night. Lendeborg echoed his coach’s and trainers optimism that he will play against UConn.
“I’m playing no matter what,” he said, later adding, “Unless I wake up and can’t even stand, I’m going to be in that game.”
Those comments came after an initial scare when he feared the worst.
“I definitely felt like I did all this for nothing in the moment,” Lendeborg said. “I had to calm down, talk to myself, and get out of my own head.”
In his first season at Michigan, Lendeborg has led the Wolverines with 15.1 points per game while adding 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks, shooting 38.3% from 3-point range. He transferred to Michigan after two seasons at UAB and three at Arizona Western Community College.
Regardless of his condition, Michigan expects him to contribute.
“Yaxel at whatever percentage he’s at, 80%, 70%, 60%, we’ll take it,” Michigan reserve forward Will Tschetter said. “That dude, he’s brought us so far this year. I have no doubt he’ll give it his all on Monday night.
Even when sidelined briefly with injury or early foul trouble, Lendeborg remained engaged, cheering on teammates from the bench. Center Aday Mara led Michigan with a career-high 26 points in the semifinal win, while Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney also scored in double figures.
UConn is dealing with injury concerns of its own as it seeks a third championship in four years. The Huskies’ third-leading scorer, Solo Ball, is nursing a foot sprain and was seen in a walking boot. He will not practice Sunday after contributing to UConn’s 71-62 win over Illinois in the Final Four.
