Michigan's Top-10 Games vs Nebraska, Michigan State is What They've 'Been Waiting' On

Michigan moved to 18-1 on the season following a win over rival Ohio State on Friday night. The Wolverines had a big second half, and defeated the Buckeyes, 74-62. While anytime you beat a rival is celebrated, Michigan doesn't have much time to think about that win.

The Wolverines have a pair of top-10 games coming up this week. The undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers will come to town on Tuesday night before Michigan heads to East Lansing to take on the Spartans on Friday evening.

Following Michigan's win over Ohio State, head coach Dusty May talked about just how big this week is for his program.

"We have a monster week coming up. Monster three, four, five, whatever, seven weeks coming up. But just in looking at the immediate future, Nebraska's one of the best teams in the country," May said.

"And so it's going to be a challenge to get ready for that one. They're playing at a high, high level. So when you're getting ready to play Nebraska and Michigan State the following week, you don't have a lot of time to savor past performances, at least from my perspective."

Yaxel Lendeborg getting hot at the right time

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) shoots a free throw. — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan's prized land out of the transfer portal showcased his skills back in Las Vegas, but Yaxel Lendeborg had a quiet start to Big Ten play. The Wolverines' leading scorer has put together back-to-back strong performances against Indiana and Ohio State.

With Nebraska and Michigan State up next, the Wolverines need more strong outings from their top playmaker. He scored a team-high 18 points against the Buckeyes — while his three-point shot didn't fall — he was aggressive in getting to the rim and drawing fouls.

Lendeborg noted how important these next two games are and it's a big reason why they all came to Ann Arbor.

"Man, this is what we've been waiting for," Lendeborg said. "This is why all of us wanted to come play college basketball at this level. The excitement in these games are bringing out a lot of, like, energy and fire, excitement for all of us."

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