Yaxel Lendeborg grinds through 36 injury-plagued minutes in Michigan's NCAA title game win over UConn: 'I feel awful'

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Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg looked little like his All-America self for much of Monday’s NCAA championship game vs. UConn.

But he played through pain and injury and ultimately led Michigan in minutes as the Wolverines held on for a 69-63 win to secure the program’s second national championship.

After a rough first half in which he was clearly struggling and managed just 4 points, Lendeborg finished the game with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 36 minutes, six more than any of his teammates.

He was far from his All-America form while shooting 4 of 13 from the field and missing all 5 of his 3-point attempts. But he made an impact on the court and stepped up in the second half after looking done in the first.

‘I feel awful, I feel super weak’

At the break, Lendeborg confirmed that he wasn’t feeling like himself in an unusually candid halftime interview. TNT’s Tracy Wolfson asked Lendeborg how he was feeling after playing all 20 minutes of the first half in which Michigan took a 33-29 lead.

Here’s his answer:

“I feel awful,” he said. “I feel super weak right now. I can’t make anything. I’m trying to push through obviously because it’s the championship game and all that, but man.

“I’m missing plays that I don’t usually miss. I’ve had many opportunities to take advantage of a smaller defender.

“I haven’t been able to do it. I’m gonna go in there at half and do as much as I can to try to feel a lot feel better and come back out and be more aggressive.”

Lendeborg played through injury

Lendeborg sprained his left MCL and rolled his left ankle in Saturday’s national semifinal win over Arizona. He vowed to play Monday night after the injury.

The Big Ten Player of the Year, Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds prior to Monday night. In the first half, he was barely a part of Michigan’s offense despite playing all 20 minutes.

He shot 1 of 5 from the field in the first half for 4 points with zero assists, rebounds, blocks or steals.

In one moment late in the first half, Lendeborg had a one-on-one post-up opportunity against UConn’s Braylon Mullins on the elbow. Lendeborg is 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds. Mullins is 6-6 and 196 pounds.

Instead of backing Mullins down, Lendeborg passed out to the perimeter.

Lendeborg more aggressive after halftime

Lendeborg came out with a wrap on his injured leg in the second half. And while he still didn’t look 100%, he improved on the court and in the box score. He made multiple key plays after halftime, including a chase-down block to help thwart a UConn run.

He also backed down Mullins given a second chance and finished with a critical and-1 layup over Tarris Reed Jr.

In the end, Lendeborg’s contributions were key to a team effort in which Michigan had to fight off a gritty UConn team that kept fighting to keep pressure on Michigan’s lead through the final buzzer. And now he’s an NCAA champion.

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