The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 BY JOHN BORTON W ell, why not? Scottie Scheffler won't enter this year's battle at The Masters saying he hopes to finish in the top four. USA's hockey teams didn't venture to Italy seeking the silver medal. And Tom Brady never once reached a Super Bowl just glad to be there. Lendeborg isn't shy, most have noticed. He called Michigan's frontcourt the best in the nation earlier this season. Nothing changed his mind to this point, includ- ing a hotly contested defeat against Duke in Washington, D.C. That setback didn't soften his stance about the Wolverines' chances going forward, either. The U-M graduate student showed up at the showdown in a big way. His 21 points and 7 rebounds paced the Wol- verines. He added 3 assists, 2 blocks and a clutch three-ball that drew Michigan within a single point with 3:49 remaining in the game. Michigan couldn't close the deal that night, but Lendeborg and his teammates see no reason why they can't do so going forward. "Yeah," he said. "Absolutely. We still feel like we're the best team ever assem- bled. That's what [junior guard] Elliot [Cadeau] says a lot in pregames. We're just going to try to continue to play as confidently as we can and continue to get as many wins as we can for the blue." There's certainly no reason to start doubting now for the young man from Pennsauken, N.J., who never even picked up a basketball in earnest until he was 15 years old. Since then, he's gone from a high school career featuring all of 11 games (10-1 at Pennsauken High) to three seasons a good distance from The Big Dance as a junior college standout at Arizona Western, to a pair of campaigns at Alabama-Birmingham. There he earned his first (brief) taste of NCAA Tourna- ment competition, while a pair of first- team All-American Conference plaudits earned him a hard look from the NBA. He chose instead a shot at One Shin- ing Moment (not to mention between a reported $2.5 to $3 million in NIL money) at Michigan. He's been perhaps the key cog in turning Dusty May's very solid tal- ent assemblage in Ann Arbor from Big Ten contender to national title hopeful. Now it's all about March Madness, and the razor's-edge margin between misery and magic. However it turns out, adding Lend- eborg counts as a game-changer, May assured. "He's adapted very well," May said. "His humility is a big reason why we've been able to be a connected group. He's never wanted to be treated like a super- star. "Obviously, his salary is well docu- mented. If other salaries were well docu- mented, he would be looked at in a com- pletely different light. Now we're in an era, for whatever reason, that these play- ers will tell the fans and student sections how much they make. So, it's not like he's making an exorbitant amount of money compared to the other superstars. He's right with them — more than some, less than some. "But none of that has ever mattered, because of who he is as a person. The market always dictates those things any- way. It's been a good fit for him. What some schools expected him to be wasn't who he is." For Michigan, Lendeborg has been someone seeking to fit in, to excel and lift others with him. Through 31 games played, Lendeborg led Michigan in av- erage minutes played per game at 29.8, which is down from 33.6 at UAB a year ago. He led the Wolverines in scoring at 14.7 per game, down from 17.7 last year. In other words, he's made concessions to earn big gains — including a shot at being one of the last men standing come April 6. ADAPTING TO EXCEL "He's an unselfish player," May as- sured. "He wants to play within the framework of a team. He doesn't want to just shoot shots. He wants to be involved Through 31 regular-season con- tests, Lendeborg led Michigan in average minutes played per game, at 29.8, and scoring, at 14.7 points per game. He also has six double- doubles to his credit. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ U-M forward Yaxel Lendeborg "If we don't finish No. 1 in college basketball, it's going to be disappointing for us. That's our goal right now. We're still going to try to be the best team ever assembled."