Potential Lottery Pick Yaxel Lendeborg Leads Michigan to Sweet 16

The Michigan Wolverines are still dancing.

Following a strong regular season, Michigan fell in the Big Ten title game at the hands of Braden Smith and Purdue, but still earned a No. 1 seed with a 31-3 record. Since then, the Wolverines have added two more wins, taking down Howard in the first round before defeating Saint Louis on Saturday.

Dusty May's team will meet either Texas Tech or Alabama in the Sweet 16 as the group continues its hunt for a national title. Michigan currently has the best odds to win the NCAA Tournament on some betting services.

Star senior Yaxel Lendeborg has played a significant part in the Wolverines success this season, including another stellar outing against the Billikens in the Round of 32. Lendeborg finished with a game-high 25 points while shooting 9-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line in Michigan's 95-72 win against Saint Louis.

Lendeborg added 6 rebounds, an assist and a block while committing zero turnovers.

The Billikens were fresh off a 102-77 win against Georgia in the opening round, but couldn't find the same success against a talented Michigan squad with multiple NBA Draft prospects.

Lendeborg will likely be the first Wolverines player selected in the 2026 class after testing the NBA Draft waters in 2025. Instead of remaining in the class, though, Lendeborg elected to return to college and transfer to Michigan, which seems to have paid off for the veteran big man.

The Wolverines' star began his college career at Arizona Western College before transferring UAB, where he spent two seasons and earned a pair of AAC Defensive Player of the Year awards. At Michigan this season, Lendeborg is averaging 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.2 steals and just 1.1 turnovers per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 35.3% from deep.

The NBA Draft prospect earned Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors for his efforts, and now has a chance to complete his final collegiate season with a national title. In addition to his production, Lendeborg's size and length will likely intrigue scouts.

At the combine last summer, Lendeborg measured 6-foot-8 and half an inch without shoes to go along with a 7-foot-4 wingspan. The Wolverines' standout will be 24-years-old at the start of his rookie season, and his age could cause concerns for some teams, but Lendeborg has done enough this season to earn a spot in the first round.

Derek Parker of NBA Draft on SI slotted Lendeborg to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 12 overall in his latest projection.

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