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Both Michigan and UConn are banged up entering the national championship game on Monday, April 6.
Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg, a first-team All-American this season, was limited to 14 minutes in Michigan’s Final Four win over Arizona after suffering a knee injury in the first half. He also re-aggravated his ankle, stemming from earlier in the season in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
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Meanwhile, multi-year starting UConn guard Solo Ball’s status is also unknown. Ball was seen with a boot on his foot during April 5’s walkthrough, and coach Dan Hurley said he was unavailable for practice.
REQUIRED READING: Michigan vs UConn prediction, spread: Who is favored to win national championship?
Both teams could look a bit different when they square off at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, or at least less than 100% healthy for the final game of the season.
Here’s a look at our six most important players for the national championship between No. 1 seed Michigan and No. 2 UConn:
Most important players of Michigan vs UConn national championship game
Yaxel Lendeborg
In one way or another, Lendeborg’s presence will be felt — or it won’t.
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The 6-foot-9 forward was one of the best players in college basketball this season, averaging 15.1 points with 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game after transferring from UAB. While Michigan still defeated Arizona 91-73 in the Final Four without Lendeborg only playing 14 minutes, the Wolverines are still — obviously — a much better team with Lendeborg in the fold.
Lendeborg was playing his best basketball heading into the Final Four, with consecutive performances of 25, 23 and 27 points against Saint Louis, Alabama and Tennessee respectively. He might not be as mobile against UConn as in prior NCAA Tournament games but can potentially still impact the game old-head style.
“He played the second half like a 38-year-old at the YMCA, and a really good 38-year-old at the YMCA,” Michigan coach Dusty May said April 5. “Whatever version of Yaxel we get it’s going to be somebody that helps us play better basketball.”
Tarris Reed Jr.
UConn’s offense runs through Tarris…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/6-most-important-uconn-michigan-100639113.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-06 10:06:00
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