Field Level Media
30 Mar 2026, 02:35 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
CHICAGO -- Yaxel Lendeborg collected 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists as top-seeded Michigan routed sixth-seeded Tennessee 95-62 on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region final.
Michigan (35-3) advanced to the program's first Final Four since 2018. The Wolverines will face West Region champion Arizona in a national semifinal in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Tennessee (25-12) held an early lead before stumbling as the school remained in search of its first men's Final Four appearance. The Volunteers made their third successive Elite Eight under coach Rick Barnes.
Michigan rolled behind 51.8% shooting while limiting Tennessee to 31.6%
Trey McKenney (12 points), Morez Johnson Jr. (12), Aday Mara (11) and Nimari Burnett (10) also scored in double figures for the Wolverines. Elliot Cadeau had eight points and 10 assists.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie led the Volunteers with 21 points and Felix Okpara added 10. Tennessee second-leading scorer Nate Ament was held to seven points, 10 below his season average, on 2-of-12 shooting before fouling out with 2:16 left.
Michigan stormed to a 21-0 run midway through the first half that essentially sealed the result.
After taking a 16-14 lead on a pair of Jaylen Carey free throws with 11:22 left before halftime, the Volunteers missed 10 consecutive shots. The Wolverines, meanwhile, rediscovered their urgency on the glass while getting their top scorer rolling.
Lendeborg needed five-plus minutes to attempt his first field goal and didn't break the scoring column until he drove for a layup about a minute later. The Big Ten player of the year factored plenty during the Wolverines' big spurt, though, starring with eight points that featured a 3-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play.
During one sequence, Lendeborg took a pass from Cadeau near midcourt, darted down the right side between two defenders and finished a reverse layup amid contact from Okpara, who was whistled for his third foul.
The maize and blue backers among the crowd erupted. The ensuing free throw and 3-pointers from Roddy Gayle Jr. and Cadeau pushed the advantage to double digits with 7:52 remaining.
Carey ended the drought with a layup at the 5:11 mark. He led the Volunteers with eight first-half points. Lendeborg had 15 points to help the Wolverines to a 48-26 lead at intermission.
Both teams grabbed 42 rebounds. J.P. Estrella and Okpara topped Tennessee with seven apiece. Burnett added seven for Michigan.
Officials called Carey for a dead-ball technical foul with 14:02 left in the game after he bumped Johnson after a tie-up with Amari Evans of Tennessee.
Michigan went on to lead by as many as 34 points.
Tennessee lost by 19 points to Houston in the 2025 Elite Eight and by six points to Purdue in that round the previous year.
--Kevin Druley, Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Wisconsin Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Wisconsin Star.
More InformationSEOUL, South Korea: Faced with fuel shortages triggered by the war in Iran, many countries across Southeast Asia are exploring work-from-home...
(CNN) - A Lebanese reporter working for a Hezbollah-owned television network was among three journalists killed in an Israeli strike...
BEIJING, China: China is moving to strengthen support for its aging population by rolling out a nationwide long-term care insurance...
LOS ANGELES, California: In a US$6 million verdict that will serve as a bellwether for numerous similar cases, Meta and Alphabet's...
PARIS, France: The Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild were searched late last week as part of an inquiry into alleged...
LONDON, U.K.: The Church of England got its first female spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide when Sarah Mullally was...
(Photo credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) CHICAGO -- Yaxel Lendeborg collected 27 points,...
(Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images) Eugenio Suarez belted a three-run homer to wipe out a two-run deficit and lead the Cincinnati...
(Photo credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images) Andrew McCutchen and Brandon Nimmo homered as the visiting Texas Rangers claimed the rubber...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images) The Phoenix Suns remain in the hunt for one of the six guaranteed NBA Western Conference...
(Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images) Jesus Sanchez hit a two-run home run Sunday afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays went...
(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images) Seth Lugo pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Bobby Witt Jr. hit safely for the third straight...
