Despite initially going down with a concerning ankle injury early on during Michigan’s 91-72 Final Four win over Arizona on Saturday, Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg was able to make his way back to the court for the victory.
Midway through the first quarter, Lendeborg rolled his ankle while fouled on a layup attempt, along with taking a rough fall back down on the hardwood.
Lendeborg slapped the ground as he landed, screaming in pain while getting up before putting his hands in his face while walking off the court after hitting both of his free throws.
The 6-foot-9 senior went to the locker room immediately after, with the TNT broadcast saying that Michigan staff was checking both Lendeborg’s ankle — which he hurt during the Big 10 tournament — and his knee.
However, no injury surfaced to be serious enough to keep him from the court.
Lendeborg wound up returning to the court to open the second half, with Michigan staff telling the broadcast that he is suffering from an MCL injury along with the twisted ankle.
Upon his return, Lendeborg hit two 3-pointers and ended up finishing the game with 11 points and three rebounds.
However, the situation didn’t come without some confusing twists. After roughly three minutes of play following the injury, Lendeborg made a brief return, hobbling to the Michigan bench before going back to the locker room.
Throughout the game, the Wolverines’ staff iced Lendeborg’s ankle while monitoring the severity of the injury, while the senior was seen riding an exercise bike while on the sidelines during the second half.
Following the win, Lendeborg said his injury is an MCL sprain “at worst”, and there is zero chance he misses the championship game against UConn on Monday.
“It’s a weird feeling,” Lendeborg said of his injury in a sideline interview after the game. “The pain that I’m having right now, I’ve never experienced it before. Coach said at worst it’s a MCL sprain and obviously I rolled my ankle.
“I’m gonna push through and there’s no way I’m missing the game on Monday night no matter what goes on. I’m gonna play unless I can’t walk at all.”
Lendeborg, who is in his first season with the Wolverines after spending three seasons at junior college and two at Alabama-Birmingham, had a breakout year for Michigan, earning Big 10 Player of the Year honors while averaging 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks through 38 games.
Despite being one of the top NCAA players this season, Lendeborg’s journey to get there was far from easy.
“I had no confidence in myself when I went to JUCO,” Lendeborg told reporters on Friday. “I didn’t want to go anyway, so it was like I was just wasting time. The journey has really felt like a dream, every step of the way. I went through so much.
“Mentally, it was definitely draining. There were many times I wanted to give up, I wanted to quit.”
