ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith holds massive respect for Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who, despite suffering from an MCL sprain after his ankle was rolled in the Final Four win against Arizona, turned up for the NCAA championship game against the UConn Huskies.
Lendeborg’s ankle got hurt early in the first half vs Arizona. Despite that, the Michigan Wolverines star returned in the second half to shoot a pair of 3-pointers. At the end of the game, he vowed that despite the injury, nobody is going to stop him from playing the finals, not even the bad ankle.
Lendeborg stayed true to his promise and started the game for Michigan. When the game was taking place, Smith dropped a special appreciation for Lendeborg, who played heavy minutes in the title game.
“Man, what a game. Win, lose or draw I give,” Smith wrote. “@UConnMBB
so much credit for staying in this game. If only they could hit these damn open 3-pointers. As for @umichbball, I have so much respect for @Yaxel_Lendeborg. Brother is practically on one leg. If he were healthy this game would probably be more lopsided. #Warrior. I see him. But I’m still hoping this comes down to the wire.”
Yaxel Lendeborg Played Most Minutes In NCAA Championship Win
It was surprising to see Yaxel Lendeborg playing the most minutes for Dusty May’s Michigan. The Wolverines forward basically never left the game as he played 36 minutes for 13 points on 4-13 shooting, including 0-5 from the 3-point line.
Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau were the two other players who got to play over 30 minutes in the game.
During the halftime break, Lendeborg revealed his feelings regarding playing hurt.
“I feel awful; I feel super weak right now,” Lendeborg told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson.
While Lendebeborg didn’t shoot at a high clip, he made all five free throws. He also had two rebounds, one assist and one block. After winning the title, Lendeborg hailed his team high.
“They might be calling us mercenaries, but we’re the hardest playing team in college basketball. We’re the best team in college basketball, and we want to be one of the greats ever,” the Michigan superstar said.
Lendeborg’s determination is what helped Michigan come out on top on Monday night.
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