The Michigan Wolverines are four wins away from winning the National Championship, and the road runs straight through a gauntlet — Alabama, and then either Tennessee or Iowa State. There are no easy matchups left, but as the Wolverines have shown all season long, they have an answer for just about everything. That answer moving forward is Yaxel Lendeborg.
The Big Ten Player of the Year and First-Team All-American has been the most versatile weapon on one of the country’s most complete rosters. With
a 6-foot-9 frame that allows him to guard multiple positions, the athleticism to finish above the rim and the shooting range to punish defenses from deep, Lendeborg is the rare player who can single-handedly change the complexion of a game on both ends of the floor.
On Saturday against Saint Louis, Lendeborg tallied 25 points (9-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from three) and six rebounds. He had highlights galore – flushing posterizing dunks, sinking deep three-pointers and euro-stepping his way through the Billikens defense. But what he also did that was so instrumental is he brought defensive intensity on both the perimeter and in the paint, disrupting Saint Louis’s game plan and holding it to low-percentage shots.
“Dominican LeBron,” Nimari Burnett said of Lendeborg after the game. “It’s as simple as those two words, but also just his aggression going to the basket. At that point in the game, we were up 10 or so, but it gave us another boost to extend the lead and continue to have good defensive intensity. But like I said, those two words, Dominican LeBron.”
The Billikens only made 31 percent of their three-point attempts and had just three offensive rebounds, all of which came early in the game. Michigan held the Billikens to 19 points in the last 15 minutes and change. Their best player, Robbie Avila, was 3-of-13 from the field and 3-for-10 from deep.
Lendeborg and Aday Mara helped get Avila into foul trouble early, and even though he was moving around on the perimeter a lot, Michigan made life hell around the rim for the Billikens.
“All season long we struggled coming out aggressively in the second half. Thursday (against Howard) kind of shifted for us because we really needed that second half for us to separate,” Lendeborg said. “We’re just learning from our mistakes against Purdue. We let them step away.
“We’re going to start coming out more aggressively in the second half from now on. When they started going on their run, it went back to learning on each other and playing poised and believing we can compete with anybody.”
That mentality will be tested like never before, starting with the toughest offensive team Michigan has faced all season. The Wolverines will face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, and they don’t make things easy on anyone. The Tide lead the nation in scoring at 91.7 points per game, rank in the top-10 in points per possession, and crash the offensive glass as well as anyone in the country.
Even without guard Aden Holloway, they’ve barely missed a beat in the tournament so far. Guard Labaron Philon Jr. (21.7 points per game) is expected to continue carrying the load. But just like Michigan, Alabama has seen production from all over its roster. On Sunday against Texas Tech, the Tide won by 25 points despite Philon’s nine points. Alabama got 24 from Latrell Wrightsell Jr., 15 from Houston Mallette and 12 from Amari Allen.
Should the Wolverines get through Alabama, the winner of Tennessee vs Iowa State awaits, and neither team offers much relief. The Volunteers are the nation’s top offensive rebounding team and play suffocating defense. They are led by former Maryland guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 18 points and 5.5 assists per game.
Iowa State, meanwhile, generates nearly 20 points per game off turnovers and boasts the nation’s most lethal three-point shooter in Milan Momcilovic — he connects at a staggering 49.6 percent from deep and scored 20 points against Kentucky on Sunday.
Michigan will need Lendeborg locked in from the opening tip moving forward, continuing his aggressiveness on both sides of the court and using his length to disrupt shots. While anyone on the team can step up on any given night, Michigan’s path to the Final Four will largely be determined by how Lendeborg plays. If his performance against Saint Louis is any indication, he’s more than ready for the moment.
