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'Triple Yaxel': Yaxel Lendeborg hits game winner to put Michigan in Big Ten title game
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- 'Triple Yaxel': Yaxel Lendeborg hits game winner to put Michigan in Big Ten title game
It's really starting to feel like March Madness.
The epic finishes that makes this such a great time in college basketball are already happening , with the latest example coming in the Big Ten tournament . The semifinal matchup between Michigan and Wisconsin was setting up for an epic finish, with the Badgers pulling off a furious comeback to make it a tie game at 65-65 with under 30 seconds left.
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The Wolverines had the final possession and for a moment, it didn't look like much was materializing. That was until Elliot Cadeau found Yaxel Lendeborg behind the arc, and he showed why he's the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Lendeborg drilled a 3-pointer with less than a second left to get a 68-65 lead as the Michigan crowd inside United Center erupted.
Wisconsin was unable to hit the miracle heave as Michigan avenged a loss from the regular season. It provided an exclamation mark on what was a rather quiet afternoon for Lendeborg, who finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
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But all was redeemed when he hit what play-by-play commentator Ian Eagle called a "triple Yaxel."
"I live for those moments. I've always dreamed of hitting a shot like that, so today was my moment to hit a shot like that, and I did," Lendeborg said on the CBS broadcast.
The win advanced the Wolverines to the Big Ten championship game against the winner of Purdue vs. UCLA on Sunday, March 15, as Michigan closes in on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yaxel Lendeborg hits game winner to put Michigan in Big Ten title game
