Michigan basketball transfer shines in dominating Wednesday victory

The No. 7 Michigan basketball team moved to 4-0 last night following an impressive 86-61 victory over Middle Tennessee in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg had his best game as a Wolverine, finishing with a season-high 25 points, shooting 9-for-12 from the field, while also grabbing 12 rebounds.

Yaxel Lendeborg tonight:

25 PTS
12 REBS
9-12 FG
2-5 3PT

The Preseason All-American puts up his best performance for @umichbball so far 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0IDgfLYUCs
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 20, 2025

The Lendeborg Hype

Heading into the season, the hype for Lendeborg was real. The UAB transfer was a preseason All-Big Ten Team selection and also an AP preseason All-American.

The hype was well deserved, while with UAB, the 6-9 forward was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and two-time American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

That brought big expectations for his final year in college with the maize and blue. He wasn’t necessarily bad in the first three games, but Michigan fans knew he had more to show.

Middle Tennessee guard Alec Oglesby (0) makes a jump shot against Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) and forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach May’s Thoughts

After the game, head coach Dusty May was asked about Lendeborg’s impact on the game and he had this to say.

“I thought on the offensive end, he was awesome,” May said. “Our guys did a better job of getting him in his spots. I thought St. John’s — we did a really good job of finding him in the flow. We weren’t stopping to get organized and look for him to run something for him. And tonight, just about every dead ball, we ran something for him, at least the intent was for him to create the advantage. It seems, off the top of my head, every time we ran something for him, something good happened. Part of it is we haven’t done a lot of it, so other teams haven’t scouted Yax in the mid-post, but that should be a good weapon going forward, especially with his unselfishness. We went 5-for-25 from three.”

Having your leading scorer as perhaps one of, if not the best, defender on the team is a cheat code. If he can continue this production on both sides of the ball, Lendeborg is in store for an impressive 2025-26 season.

Michigan head coach Dusty May watches a play against Middle Tennessee during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What His Teammates Said

L.J. Cason, a sophomore guard for the Wolverines, had high praise for Lendeborg following last night’s game.

“I’ve been saying it since I seen him, I feel like sometimes he looks like LeBron on the court,” Cason said. “It looks so easy for him, he’s starting to really figure it out, and it’s only going to get better, he’s only going to make us better.”

Anytime you have an athlete getting compared to one of the greatest athletes in the sport of basketball, you know you are doing something right.

The Lendeborg Hype

Coach May’s Thoughts

What His Teammates Said

— Sign up for the Michigan Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Michigan Wolverines on SI —