Final Four 2026: Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg leaves Arizona matchup with reported ankle, knee injuries

Michigan All-American Yaxel Lendeborg left Saturday’s Final Four matchup against Arizona with what the TNT broadcast reported were both ankle and knee issues.

Lendeborg left the game as Michigan held a 28-14 with 8:41 remaining in the first half. He rolled his right ankle after appearing to step 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. His injury status wasn’t immediately clear.

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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 despite playing much of the half without its best player.

Lendeborg is critical to Michigan’s hopes of beating Arizona and winning the national championship if the Wolverines were to advance to Monday’s title game against UConn. A senior forward, Lendeborg’s 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.

This story will be updated.