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INDIANAPOLIS — For a moment there, Michigan looked in trouble.
All-America forward Yaxel Lendeborg picked up his first foul 72 into the Final Four matchup against Arizona and then was whistled for another just five seconds later, sending the senior to the bench.
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Worse yet, Lendeborg began favoring his left leg after landing awkwardly with nine minutes left in the half, which forced him to enter the locker room for treatment. After returning to the Michigan bench with five minutes left in the first half, Lendeborg was again escorted through the tunnel. He ended up playing a season-low 14 minutes, though he poured in 11 points in this limited duty.
“I had to calm down a little, speak to myself, get out of my thoughts,” Lendeborg said of the injury. “I didn’t feel like I was going to be OK. I was definitely really worried.”
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Losing your star and your leader early in the national semifinals would be a doomsday scenario for nearly anyone in college basketball — just not these Wolverines.
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Even without Lendeborg making his usual impact, the Wolverines rolled to an impressive 91-73 win against the Wildcats and will meet Connecticut in Monday night’s championship game.
The win is proof of a key point about this team: Michigan is more than the sum of its parts, with a powerful supporting cast that more than overcame Lendeborg’s absence and could clearly do the same if he’s limited against the Huskies.
“We’re an unselfish team,” forward Joe Tschetter said. “It can be anybody’s night on any night. That’s what we’ve showed all year.”
Five players scored in double figures. Six of the seven players who logged the most-significant minutes outside of garbage time scored at least nine points. The Wolverines assisted on 22 of their 33 made field goals. They forced 14 turnovers. A lengthy and aggressive defense held Arizona in check from start to finish, stymieing what was…
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Publish date : 2026-04-05 05:30:00
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