Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan scorch Saint Louis 95-72 to reach Sweet 16
Yaxel Lendeborg and Michigan basketball blitzed SLU and Robbie Avila in March Madness second round. How Wolverines won to advance in Midwest region.
BUFFALO, NY − Anything you can do, I can do better. Michigan basketball faced a similar-style, free-flowing, analytically-driven Saint Louis squad , but a slightly lesser version of a similar formula was no match for the Wolverines. Yaxel Lendeborg and Michigan blitzed Robbie Avila and SLU on Saturday, March 21, in the second round of March Madness, 95-72, at KeyBank Center.
Michigan is the first team in the 2026 NCAA Tournament to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16. All five starters for the Wolverines scored in double figures, led by Yaxel Lendeborg's 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting. That included a fastbreak poster dunk.
Michigan (33-3) will play the winner of Sunday night's game between 4-seed Alabama and 5-seed Texas Tech in the regional semifinal Friday, March 27, at United Center. Avila, the Billikens' standout center , had nine points and five assists, limited to 3-for-13 shooting and 3-for-10 from 3-point range. Aday Mara filled up the stat sheet for the Wolverines for a second straight game, with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and four blocks, all in the first half.
Morez Johnson Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds. Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press.