CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama 90-77 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.
Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17 points as top-seeded Michigan set a school record with its 34th win of the season. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 16 points.
Led by McKenney and Gayle, the Wolverines (34-3) enjoyed a 33-6 advantage in bench points. But the versatile Lendeborg was the star of the show as his team grabbed control in the second half.
Next up for the Wolverines is Sunday’s Midwest Region final against sixth-seeded Tennessee, which eliminated Iowa State with a 76-62 victory.
“Overwhelmed with joy. This is pretty much a dream come true,” Lendeborg said.
Labaron Philon Jr. scored 35 points for fourth-seeded Alabama, which reached the Elite Eight each of the previous two years. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 15 points.
“It got a little bit away from us and we just couldn’t get back into it,” Wrightsell said. “I feel like just the edge from them was really good at the start of the second half, and our edge, well, didn’t start on with an edge for the second half.”
Alabama (25-10) was once again without star guard Aden Holloway, who missed the school’s tournament run after he was suspended indefinitely following a March 16 arrest on felony drug charges.
Philon also had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists in what might have been his final game with the Crimson Tide. The dynamic guard could declare for the NBA draft.
“I really just haven’t thought about it really,” Philon said. “Just been trying to play basketball with Alabama for this little run.”
Even without Holloway, the Crimson Tide stayed right with the Wolverines for much of the up-tempo matchup of two of the tournament’s highest-scoring teams. But everything changed when Lendeborg, the Big Ten player of the year, started to assert himself at the beginning of the second half.
“I mean, you got Yax playing like that, just the kind of competitiveness he had today, like, I think he’s the best player in the country without a doubt,” Gayle said. “He’s like that, we’re the best team.”
Lendeborg stepped in front of an Alabama pass along the baseline and threw the ball ahead to Nimari Burnett for a fast-break dunk that gave Michigan a 54-51 lead with 17:04 left.
The 6-foot-9 Lendeborg then made a 3 and converted a driving layup to make it 62-54 with 14:50 remaining. Two foul shots by McKenney made it 75-60 with 9:22 to go, and it was too much for Alabama to overcome.
“Once we started slowing the game down, being a lot more physical and trying to dominate the paint, we started finding more success,” Lendeborg said. “Our defense started coming alive, and that really helped us out. It helped our confidence.”
It was a sweet moment for Lendeborg, who was hoping for more interest from Alabama when he entered the transfer portal last year after two seasons at UAB. He ended up at Michigan, and the arrangement is working quite well for the forward and his team.
Michigan coach Dusty May also got a win against Alabama’s Nate Oats, a longtime friend from the beginning of their coaching journeys.
“We came out in the second half, and Michigan just seemed like they imposed their will on us,” Oats said.
Right from the start, Michigan and Alabama pushed the ball up the court whenever possible. The final few seconds of the shot clock were seldom seen as the teams took aim from long range or attacked the rim shortly after gaining possession.
Gayle’s jumper started a 14-3 run for Michigan that made it 47-41 with 1:58 left in the first half. But Philon responded with eight straight points, including two foul shots that gave Alabama a 49-47 lead at the break.
The teams combined for 74 shots in the first half alone, including 39 attempts from behind the arc. The Crimson Tide went 9 for 24 from 3-point range, and the Wolverines went 8 for 15.
“We were down on ourselves, and we came in, and we regrouped, and our guys had a different level of focus and intensity in the second half,” May said.