Yaxel Lendeborg is not planning to let an injury keep him from playing on the NCAA Tournament’s grandest stage.
The Michigan standout had fans holding their collective breath after he went down with a lower leg injury Saturday in their Final Four win over Arizona. Lendeborg landed awkwardly while trying to jump past two defenders and ended up hurting both his left knee and ankle in the 91-73 contest.
While Lendeborg was able to return in the second half and even drained a couple of threes, his status for the national championship game was a major question mark.
There wasn’t any uncertainty in Lendeborg’s mind when he spoke to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander after the game. He made it clear that nothing was going to stop him from taking the floor opposite UConn.
“I’m going to do a lot to work on it, and I’m playing on Monday for sure, no matter what goes on,” Lendeborg said.
Yaxel Lendeborg joins @MattNorlander after Michigan's win over Arizona, and he says he will play through his injury in the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/pCICYTGtgb
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 5, 2026
The Wolverines star suffered an MCL sprain while also re-injuring the left ankle he rolled during the Big Ten tournament last month.
While Lendeborg’s words will probably excite the Michigan faithful, there’s no assurance that the injury doesn’t worsen once the adrenaline of Saturday’s win wears off. But as long as Yaxel can walk, he may force his way onto the court by any means necessary.
