CHICAGO − What a difference 20 minutes of basketball can make.
Michigan basketball was stuck in the mud in the first half of its Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup with Wisconsin. Much of the reason U-M couldn’t get going in the first half was because point guard Elliot Cadeau played just six minutes and sat the majority of the final 12 minutes after picking up two quick fouls.
Yaxel Lendeborg, meanwhile, told CBS as he walked into the locker room at halftime he was in the middle of “the worst two games of my life,” dating back to his quiet showing against Ohio State.
The next time the Big Ten Player of the Year went to the locker room, he was smiling ear to ear.
With the duo on the court in the closing moments, they combined for the two biggest plays of U-M’s postseason so far.
They assisted on each other’s 3-pointers in the final minute. First, Lendeborg got an offensive rebound off a Cadeau miss and kicked it back to him, before he rained home the second. After Wisconsin tied the game, it was Cadeau’s turn to swing the ball to Lendeborg at the right wing and he hit with the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left to lift Michigan to a thrilling 68-65 victory over Wisconsin to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
Michigan will play Purdue on Sunday, March 15 (3:30 p.m., CBS) with a chance to go back-to-back as Big Ten tourney champs.
“It feels amazing,” Lendeborg said after he strolled into the locker room. “I’m super jittery right now. It’s my first time hitting [a game-winning] shot, but I prayed for moments like this and I’m glad I finally got a chance to capitalize.”
Lendeborg finding his form
Lendeborg had been uncharacteristically quiet through 59 minutes of the Big Ten Tournament.
After scoring six points against Ohio State, he was scoreless until the final minute of the first half, when he drilled a 3 from the left corner to tie the game, 28-28. Nimari Burnett said much of the halftime message to Lendeborg was to be confident − he’s the one who’s led U-M to this point, so there’s no reason to be hesitant when the time comes.
“I saw him get going by just losing himself in the game,” Burnett continued. “He found different ways to find his offense. Aday [Mara] was rolling and he could different ways to play off Aday … and I think the moment became his toward the end of the game.”
Lendeborg hit a spinning layup moments into the half to go up 37-31. Minutes later, Mara threw an underhand scoop pass which Lendeborg was able to finish for a layup, before he slashed down the lane and got another handoff from Mara, but that one he threw down with authority to put the Wolverines up by 13.
Lendeborg made all four of his shots in the second half and finished 5-for-9 for 12 points and 2-for-4 on 3s. The box score is solid, but he knows his impact needs to be more consistent. He described the way teams have been aggressively face-guarding him, which is a different defense than he’s been used to. He’s become the focal point of U-M’s offense in ways, for one reason or another, he wasn’t all season long.
“I don’t know what’s been going on through my brain these last three halves,” he said. “I’ve just been super passive, honestly … I haven’t really been feeling myself or [playing] as freely as I normally do. … I’ve just been over thinking a lot of things.
“This gives me a big, big boost … I’m my worst critic. I’m super hard on myself, always want perfection out of myself. … How bad I’ve been in those past three halves, it’s amazing to finally be able to deliver for my team.”
Cadeau creates consistency
From the moment Cadeau subbed out, the Wolverines’ offense went cold. Michigan made just one shot in the next 7:37 of gametime, unable to find any rhythm, as the Badgers built their lead out to 26-18, their largest of the game.
Cadeau, who was left to simply watch from the bench, was given a stark reminder of his importance to the offense’s functionality, in particular with L.J. Cason out for season with a torn ACL.
“I really, really, really wanted to be on the court,” he said. “It was hard for me just to watch and not be able to help and do anything and that’s on me. The foul I did commit, the second foul, was an unnecessary, stupid foul.
“I didn’t have to do that and I learned from my mistakes to not do that again.”
As soon as Cadeau came back, Michigan looked competent once more. His tough slashing layup put the Wolverines up six. Another driving floater moments later made it 39-31, then his 3 from the right wing gave Michigan its first double-digit lead of the day.
Of course, it would all collapse. After Michigan went up 54-39, the Badgers put together an incredible 23-4 run, fueled by seven 3-pointers and a Nick Boyd floater to flip the script and go up 62-58. After Aday Mara hit back-to-back buckets to knot the game at 62, U-M’s duo took over down the stretch.
After Cadeau missed a 3, Lendeborg skied for the rebound, then whipped back around to Cadeau, who caught and knocked down his second try that hit every part of the rim and glass before falling in.
“As soon as I got it, I knew exactly who to hit,” Lendeborg said. “He’s been our best shooter pretty much all year, so there’s no way I’m not giving him that ball again. I know he wanted that shot, too, and he was ready to hit it.”
Wisconsin’s Boyd responded with a step-back 3 from the right wing with 29 seconds left to tie things at 65, when Michigan had one final chance. The initial call was for Lendeborg to post up, but he didn’t get a good seal on his man. Option 2 was to get the ball to Cadeau and let him create.
He drove along the right sideline, then went to the corner and Lendeborg relocated, sticking his right hand out to signal his movement, then flashed both his hands to show he was open. Cadeau hit him in the shooting pocket, Lendeborg let it fly from 25 feet and it ripped through the net as U-M players ran on, then back off the court.
“I like the pass because you know it was like a game-winner,” Cadeau said of his two plays down the stretch. “My shot was timely, but it wasn’t a game-winning shot and the crowd went crazy after Yax’s, so that was really like a surreal moment for me.”
After a near no-show from its two offensive focal points in the first half, U-M got the plays it needed in the moment that counted, reminding both of their critical roles in the Wolverines’ ecosystem.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball’s heroes reminded of their importance vs Wisconsin
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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