BTT 2026: Michigan vs. Wisconsin Recap

Michigan’s semifinal win over Wisconsin provided every emotion on the chart — and it’s not even the NCAA Tournament yet.

The Wolverines started poorly, sat Elliot Cadeau for 11 minutes after two first-half fouls, but somehow tied the game at the half. They looked on the verge of a comfortable win, building a 15-point lead with 9:50 to play, but then the 3-point bombing Badgers woke up.

Austin Rapp bombed five threes in a row, Wisconsin reeled off a 17-2 run, and Michigan was staring down a 4-point deficit inside of the final four minutes.

Aday Mara evened the game before Elliot Cadeau and Nick Boyd exchanged 3-pointers in the closing moments. In the end, Michigan had the final possession, and that’s what mattered.

Cadeau weaved his way through the Badger defense, found Yaxel Lendeborg on the perimeter, and Lendeborg buried the game-winning three with under a second left on the clock.

“We thought Yax had a matchup in the post. He went to it, and then we had a timeout,” Dusty May explained. “And at 3.8 I looked, and I did a quick scan. I thought Elliot Cadeau, the floor’s busted, they’re out of their shell, they’re scrambling, I think he’s going to make something good happen. That was it.”

It had been a quiet night overall for Lendeborg, who introduced the world to his blunt honesty during interviews at the half, but his game-winning 3-pointer was the difference.

Lendeborg only made five shots — including a three to close both halves — in 35 minutes, but he delivered when the lights were brightest, and the Wolverines will play for another banner on Sunday.