How Michigan crushed Arizona in men’s Final Four to reach NCAA Tournament national title game – The Athletic

Yaxel Lendeborg was going to return to play in the second half of the game despite his MCL sprain and ankle sprain. He turned to his family and friends during the game to say so, yelling, “I have to, I have to.” He confirmed to CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson that he’s going to play in Monday’s national championship game against UConn no matter what: “I’m going to play unless I can’t walk at all.”

His teammates, Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, sang their star forward praises for his resilience.

Cadeau:

💬 “We know what type of guy Yaxel is, if he can play, he’s going to play. We asked him, ‘Are you good?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So we expect him to be on the court. He told us when he got on the court, he was going to give it his all.”

McKenney:

💬 “I think it just shows the guy who Yaxel is. I mean, he just wants to put it all on the floor for Michigan, and he wants to give the fans what they came here for. I’m just really grateful to have him as a teammate. He’s one of the best players in the country. He really showed that tonight. But he’s selfless as well. So I’m just really grateful to be around him.”