Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg reacts after an injury on the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game against Arizona at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (Abbie Parr, Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
INDIANAPOLIS – The Michigan Wolverines are leading the Arizona Wildcats 48-32 at the half without star player Yaxel Lendeborg, who suffered a nasty injury early in the game.
With under 10 minutes to play in the half, Lendeborg drove to the basket and twisted his ankle, leaving him rything in pain.
He got up and tried to walk it off, but took a knee at halfcourt before tying his Air Jordan 13 Carmelo Anthony player exclusives, heading to the line and drilling both free throws before walking to the locker room.
Lendeborg struggled early in the half, picking up two fouls with 18:38 to play before suffering the injury.
He scored five points in the half and returned to the bench momentarily, but he returned to the locker room with a trainer.
Lendeborg entered the game in Willis Reed style, grabbing two rebounds and draining two three-pointers as Michigan led 56-39 with 15:40 to play.
Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.
