CHICAGO — Time for exactly one possession remained after No. 5 seed Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65. Junior guard Elliot Cadeau received the inbound and dribbled the clock down to about 13 seconds before putting the ball in motion.
With just under 10 seconds, junior center Aday Mara received the ball at the key with graduate guard Yaxel Lendeborg attempting to seal his defender on the right block — but to no avail.
“The play design was for me to get a post-up catch, low post, but I didn’t do my best sealing, and we had to get the ball to Elliot,” Lendeborg said.
Cadeau controlled the ball yet again with just over six seconds to go, moving from the right wing into the right corner. He head-faked as Lendeborg slipped to the right wing, awaiting the pass.
“Elliot had a driving angle, and props to him for keeping his composure and not forcing something,” Lendeborg said. “He found the open guy, and it happened to be me.”
With two seconds on the clock, time froze as Lendeborg’s 3-pointer hung in the air. After struggling in the first three halves of the Big Ten Tournament, Lendeborg had the chance to win the game and send his team to the Big Ten Tournament title game. The ball hit nylon with 0.4 seconds left, and Lendeborg had sent the No. 1 seed Michigan men’s basketball team into the title game.
“When the play broke down, and we still found a way to execute and make the right read in the right pass, this is a testament to what we practice all season, but also a testament to Yaxel and being ready for the moment,” graduate guard Nimari Burnett said.
After the game, Lendeborg cited moments like his first-ever game-winner as a key reason he came to play for the Wolverines. Even when times get rough, his teammates and coaches have confidence in him to deliver in the biggest moment.
“This has been the best year of my life, honestly,” Lendeborg said. “I’ve had so much fun. I’ve had a lot of learning points as well. There’s been times where I had a really bad game that I couldn’t really get out of my head. Today, for example, I was really down on myself in the first half because I felt like I was letting my team down. (Michigan coach Dusty May) was really letting me know he has my back regardless. He wants me to be more aggressive. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”
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