CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg and his Michigan teammates were none too pleased to return to the same locker room.
They still had a bitter taste in their mouths from their trip to Chicago two weeks ago. They hope this one is a little sweeter.
“We tried to switch the whole vibe in the locker room in general,” said Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year. “Everybody is sitting in different places, acting differently. We’re just trying to change everything
completely.”
The top seed in the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region, Michigan (33-3) is back at United Center — where it lost the Big Ten Tournament championship game to Purdue — for a Sweet 16 matchup against fourth-seeded Alabama (25-9) on Friday. The Wolverines will try to set the program record for wins.
Second-seeded Iowa State (29-7) faces Tennessee (24-11) in the other regional semifinal.
Michigan's loss to Purdue came on the heels of narrow wins in the conference tourney over Ohio State and Wisconsin.
The result didn't hurt Michigan's NCAA path. The Wolverines still earned a No. 1 seed.
Michigan combined to score 196 points in dominating Howard and Saint Louis in Buffalo to earn a return to Chicago. The Wolverines matched the 2017-18 team that advanced to the national title game for the most wins in program history.
Michigan is in the Sweet 16 for the second time in as many seasons under coach Dusty May. The Wolverines got knocked out by Auburn a year ago.
“I think overall we’re in a very good spot mentally,” said May, who coached Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023. “I think our guys are focused on this game and the preparation that we need to have to be in position to win.”
Alabama got 24 points from Latrell Wrightsell Jr. in blowing out Texas Tech to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year. The Crimson Tide made the Final Four two years ago and advanced to the Elite Eight last season. They've played the past two games without star guard Aden Holloway, who was suspended indefinitely after being arrested on a felony drug charge.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said he has “absolutely no reason to leave” despite being mentioned for openings elsewhere and has begun talks on a contract extension.
“They’re doing everything they can to make sure that we’ve got a competitive program,” he said.
The North Carolina job is open and some Tar Heels fans would surely welcome Oats, who has a 170-72 record and five trips to the Sweet 16 in seven seasons at Alabama. He previously coached Buffalo.
Oats got a new deal two years ago during the Final Four run. He said he does not have an offer in hand from Alabama at the moment.
“We’ve had some discussions, and it’s probably getting close,” he said. “We’ll see where it takes us.”
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger also has been mentioned for the North Carolina job. Like Oats, he tried to dispel those rumors.
“We’re Cyclones for the long haul. We’re thrilled at the experience we’ve had up to this point, and we’re excited for a future even better than the five years we’ve had,” he said.
Otzelberger has led Iowa State to a 124-52 record and three trips to the Sweet 16 in five seasons.
Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson will be a game-time decision against Tennessee because of a sprained left ankle, Otzelberger said.
The All-America forward was hurt minutes into the Cyclones' March Madness opener against Tennessee State and did not play in their lopsided win over Kentucky.
“It's ultimately Joshua’s decision,” Otzelberger said. “We love him. We support him. We’re going to give him all the information and resources. But it ultimately comes down to he’s a fierce competitor. He’s a warrior. He’ll do anything to be out there for his teammates. I know if that’s a possibility that he will take advantage of it.”
Lendeborg, Michigan's star forward, said he hoped to get recruited by Alabama when he entered the transfer portal last year after two seasons at UAB, but didn't get a call.
“There’s going to be a lot of extra juice for sure,” he said. “I know I’m going to try my best to be the best player on the floor tomorrow. All it is is extra motivation.”
Oats said Alabama did, in fact, check in on Lendeborg.
“We did make a call,” he said. “It never got very deep. I think there were some programs that were in a little deeper with a lot more money at the time. It’s one of those, you kind of call, see where the situation is at. Probably wasn’t something we were going to be able to do, so didn’t spend a lot of time on it.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
