The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Five Best Players 1. Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg: There were three different stages of the 6-foot-9, 240-pounder's postseason: The feeling-out process early in the Big Ten Tournament, flip- ping the switch of aggression, and then playing through pain. At halftime of the conference tournament semifinal against Wisconsin, following three passive halves, head coach Dusty May pulled Lendeborg aside and said, "We can live with whatever the results are, but we're not going out like that. We're going to be aggressive. We're not going to be afraid of failure. We're go- ing to let it rip, being us." Lendeborg let it fly on his 13th field goal attempt of the Big Ten Tour- nament, drilling a three-pointer from the right wing to put Michigan up 68-65 with 0.4 seconds remaining — his first-ever game-winning shot. That halftime conversation seemed to spark something in Lendeborg, who averaged 20.8 points per game in his next five games, includ- ing 25, 23 and 27 in NCAA Tournament victories over Saint Louis, Alabama and Tennessee. He earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the Midwest Region, shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent on threes in the first four games of the Big Dance, also providing tremendous defense. The 91-73 Final Four win over Arizona was a roller coaster. Within the first 90 seconds, Lendeborg picked up two personal fouls. He went to the bench but returned minutes later, only to go down with ankle and knee injuries while driving and stepping on the foot of Wild- cat big man Motiejus Krivas. Lendeborg went to the locker room, missed the remainder of the first half, hardly warmed up coming out of halftime but logged some hobbled minutes in the second half — which included 2 big made threes — before shutting it down. The UAB transfer vowed to play in the na- tional championship game against UConn, even with a sprained ankle and MCL. He did just that, logging a team-high 36 minutes, playing outstanding defense and scoring 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He lamented his perfor- mance — he's as honest and self-critical as they come — but it was special, considering the circumstances, helping the Wolverines grit out a 69-63 victory. 2. Junior guard Elliot Cadeau: His role be- came even more important when sophomore L.J. Cason suffered a season-ending ACL injury Feb. 27, and Cadeau answered the bell. In nine postseason games, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound pit- bull averaged 12.7 points, 7 assists and 3.2 re- bounds in 32.1 minutes per game — increases of 1.8 points, 1.5 assists, 0.6 rebounds and 6.3 minutes from the regular season. His passing was on point all the way through. Cadeau made the assist to Lendeborg on his game-winner against Wisconsin, then had 10, 9, 7, 7, 10 and 10 assists in a six-game stretch against Purdue, Howard, Saint Louis, Alabama, Tennessee and Arizona, respectively, and hit clutch shots throughout. Cadeau, who posted 13 points and 10 as- sists versus Arizona and 19 points and 2 dimes against UConn, was named the Most Outstand- ing Player at the Final Four. In the championship game against UConn, Cadeau was aggressive with his own offense, scoring in the paint and finishing at the free throw line, and he hit the Wolverines' first tri- ple of the game (1 of only 2 for the night) with just under 13 minutes remaining. 3. Junior center Aday Mara: The 7-foot-3, 255-pound Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year kicked his game into high gear in the postsea- son, beginning by averaging 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1.3 assists in three Big Ten Tournament games. When he was doubled, more times than not, Mara made the right pass. Because of that, and the fact that the Wolverines have other weapons to deal with, he finished over the top when he got one- on-one coverage, flashing his patented spin move toward the baseline and connecting on his hook shot at a higher rate. That all carried over to the NCAA Tourna- ment. The Zaragoza, Spain, native feasted against Howard (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 as- sists, 3 blocks) and Saint Louis (16 points, 5 re- bounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks). Alabama gave him tons of attention in the post, limiting him to 8 points and 4 assists, and he got going with 11 points in the Elite Eight victory over Tennessee. Mara saved his best performance for the Final Four versus an Arizona front line that was also billed as one of the nation's best. Mara put up 15 points in the first half and ended up with 26 points, 9 boards and 3 assists for the game. He ran well in transition, scored in one-on-one situations, drew fouls and made all 4 of his free throw attempts. In the postseason, Mara averaged 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game, connecting on 65.6 percent of his shots from the field and going 16-of-21 from the free throw line. 4. Freshman guard Trey McKenney: The Flint, Mich., native recorded 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.4 minutes per game, while shooting 42.1 percent from be- yond the arc (16-of-38) in nine postseason clashes, rounding into form at the most im- portant time of the year. He scored in double figures in six of nine games and three of the last four, highlighted by a big-time performance in the 90-77 Sweet 16 victory over Alabama. Against the Crimson Tide, the 6-foot-4, Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the Midwest Region, shoot- ing 61.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent on threes in the first four games of the Big Dance. PHOTO BY ANDREW MASCHARKA/MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Superlatives For U-M's Nine Postseason Games March 13 To April 6