Michigan All-American Yaxel Lendeborg returned toSaturday's Final Four win over Arizonaafter suffering knee and ankle injuries and vowed after the game to play in Monday's NCAA title game against UConn.
Lendeborg confirmed postgame that he sprained his left MCL and injured his ankle on a fall in the first half. He missed most of the first half, but returned to play briefly in the second half of Michigan's runaway win.
He hit two 3s in the opening minutes of the second half to help Michigan extend its lead as theWolverines cruised to a 91-73 victory.
Lendeborg left the court with 13:32 remaining and Michigan holding a 66-45 lead. He briefly returned later in the half, but finished the game on the bench with a wrap around his knee as Michigan was comfortably in control.
Lendeborg finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 14 minutes while shooting 3 of 4 from the floor. The attention now turns to his health and availability for Monday's championship game against UConn,which beat Illinois in Saturday's first Final Four game.
Lendeborg: 'I'm gonna play unless I can't walk'
Lendeborg told TNT after the game that he's confident he'll play Monday night.
"Coach said at worst, like MCL sprain," Lendeborg said. " And obviously, I rolled my ankle. I'm gonna push through. There's no way I'm missing the game on Monday night, no matter what goes on.
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"I'm gonna play unless I can't walk at all."
Lendeborg maintained a noticeable limp as he walked of the court following Michigan's win.
Lendeborg in pain after scary fall
Lendeborg left the game with his injuries as Michigan held a 28-14 lead with 8:41 remaining in the first half. He rolled his left ankle after stepping on the foot of Arizona's Motiejus Krivas on a drive to the basket.
He was in obvious pain as he stood up from his fall. He was fouled on the play and was able to shoot free throws before limping off the court to the Michigan locker room.
Lendeborg was able to briefly return to the Michigan bench before the end of the half, but again limped off the court before halftime. He didn't return until the second half.
Arizona reeled off seven straight points after he left the game to cut Michigan's lead to 28-21. But Michigan withstood the run and went into halftime with a 48-32 lead. The Wolverines dominated the second half despite the limitations of their best player.
Lendeborg is critical to Michigan's hopes of beating UConn in Monday's title game. A senior forward, Lendeborg has averaged 15.2 points, 7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals this season while shooting 52% from the field and 37.2% from 3.
He's a consensus first-team All-American and was named Big Ten Player of the Year while leading Michigan to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. He's been Michigan's most valuable player while leading the Wolverines in a dominant NCAA tournament run to the Final Four and, now, to the title game.