Yaxel Lendeborg three-pointer sends Michigan into Big Ten tournament final
Yaxel Lendeborg hit a dramatic three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to give Michigan a 68-65 victory over Wisconsin and send them into the Big Ten tournament championship game in Chicago.
The top-seeded Wolverines avenged their only conference defeat of the regular season to keep their hopes of securing a second consecutive tournament title alive.
Aday Mara anchored the interior for the victors, tallying 16 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks during a tense encounter at the United Center.
Elliot Cadeau also contributed 15 points and provided the crucial assist for the game-winning shot after a chaotic final possession.
Lendeborg delivers when it matters most
The Big Ten Player of the Year endured a quiet start to the contest following a similarly subdued offensive performance in Friday’s quarter-final win over Ohio State.
He began to find his rhythm just before the interval, draining a vital perimeter shot with 11 seconds left in the half to level the scoreline at 28-28.
Both sides struggled offensively in the opening period, with the eventual winners shooting just 26.7% from the field compared to their opponents’ 32.3%.
The tension escalated in the dying moments of the second half after Nick Boyd hit a clutch shot for Wisconsin to tie the game at 65-all.
Badgers fall short despite second-half surge
Austin Rapp proved to be a constant threat for the defeated side, sinking six attempts from beyond the arc to score all of his 18 points after the break.
However, Boyd endured a difficult shooting night, managing just 14 points on six-for-20 shooting a day after an exhausting career-high 38-point display against Illinois.
The defeat means the Wisconsin program misses out on a third successive Big Ten tournament final appearance, having lost the 2025 showpiece to this exact opposition.
The reigning champions will now face either UCLA or Purdue in Sunday’s title match as they pursue their fifth overall tournament crown.
They already boast a psychological advantage over both potential opponents, having comprehensively beaten the Bruins and the Boilermakers in consecutive mid-February fixtures.