Meet Yaxel Lendeborg: 5 Things To Know About the Michigan Forward
Meet Yaxel Lendeborg, the do-it-all wing at the center of No. 1 Michigan's dominance. The men's college basketball season is ramping up with high-stakes games every night and the NCAA Tournament just around the corner. In those key regular-season games, March Madness stars introduce themselves to the nation with magical moments and Cinderella runs. We're teaching you about them before they become national heroes. Ahead of No. 1 Michigan facing No. 3 Duke on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET), let us help you get to know Lendeborg. 1. Player Build Lendeborg is a versatile, 6-foot-9 forward. He's dangerous in transition, where he can showcase his athleticism. He's also an improved perimeter shooter, which has enabled Michigan to play three players taller than 6-foot-9 at once. 2. Terrific Transfer Lendeborg was tied with P.J. Haggerty as the top-rated transfer in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. After transferring in from UAB, he has lived up to the hype, averaging 14.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds and helping the Wolverines to a 25-1 record. 3. Mid-Major Success While at UAB, Lendeborg dominated the American Athletic Conference (now American Conference). He averaged a double-double in both seasons and helped the Blazers earn a 2024 NCAA Tournament bid. 4. "GOT IT" Honors Lendeborg earned the exclusive honor of a spot on FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson's "GOT IT" team on Jan. 25 after his standout performance in Michigan's 74-62 victory over Ohio State on Jan. 23. Lendeborg finished that game with 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals. 5. NBA Future Lendeborg has earned praise as a first-round prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft class. Recent mock drafts have had him going as high as going in the top 15. He'd present an NBA team with a versatile wing who can guard multiple positions and score in multiple ways. He has the experience to help a franchise win — immediately.
Mallory gets fouled on 3-pointer with seconds left, leads No. 14 Virginia to an 86-83 win over Miami
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Chance Mallory drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with 3.6 seconds to play, and then sank all three free throws to lift No. 14 Virginia to an 86-83 win over Miami on Saturday.
Jacari White came off the bench to score 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers for the Cavaliers (24-3, 12-2 Atlantic Coast), who won their eighth straight.
Sam Lewis had 15 points, Thijs De Ridder scored 14, and Mallory had all 12 of his points in the second half.
Shelton Henderson and Tre Donaldson each scored 18 to lead Miami (21-6, 10-4), which saw its four-game win streak snapped. The Hurricanes out rebounded UVA 30-23 and outscored Virginia 18-2 on second-chance points.
The win kept the second-place Cavaliers ahead of third-place Miami in the conference standings and robbed the Hurricanes of a chance for a big Quad 1 victory.
UVA honored former coach Tony Bennett in a pregame ceremony, naming the court at John Paul Jones Arena after him. With a collection of his former players joining him on the court, Bennett watched as a logo of his signature was unveiled.
Miami jumped out to an early 11-point lead, but seven first-half 3-pointers kept UVA in the game. The Hurricanes scored the final eight points of the half and went to the locker room ahead 44-39.
The teams were tied at 59 with 11:33 to play. Mallory and De Ridder led the Cavaliers in opening up their largest lead of the game, 68-61 with 8:54 to go.
Miami fought back to set up a back-and-forth finish.
Malik Reneau's layup at 7 seconds tied the game 83-83. Mallory took the inbounds pass and raced across the half-court line, elevating for a shot attempt and getting fouled.
Up next
Miami: Visits Florida State on Tuesday.
Virginia: Hosts N.C. State on Tuesday.
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Kwasniok full of praise for "King of the Air" Ragnar Ache
It's safe to say that Köln manager Lukas Kwasniok is happy with striker Ragnar Ache. Ache scored the opener for the hosts with a stunning bicycle kick after only 15 minutes. Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann could only watch as the ball whistled into the back of the net.
Hoffenheim eventually fought back to secure a 2-2 draw, but that didn't make Ache's goal any less special.
“All I want to see today is the headline: Ragnar Ache - King of the Air,” said Kwasniok in a press conference after the game.
The goal was his fifth of the Bundesliga season, and fourth in his last six games. Only Said El Mala has more goals for Effzeh, as Ache, who was a substitute at the start of the season, has become a crucial player for Kwasniok and Köln.
“He's come a long way and is an indispensable part of the team,” said Kwasniok.
Ache joined in July 2025 after two strong seasons in the 2. Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He found minutes hard to come by, though, with Köln initially using Marius Bülter up top.
Ache has fought his way into the starting eleven, though. He scored his first goal for Effzeh in October in the DFB Pokal, although Köln lost 4-1 to Bayern Munich. Days later, the striker scored his first goal in the Bundesliga.
His strong form has continued into 2026. Ache has four goals already this year, with a brace in a crucial win over Mainz before goals against Stuttgart and now Hoffenheim. In total, he's up to six goals and six assists in all competitions this season.
It doesn't hurt that some of the goals have been fantastic, either. His strike against Hoffenheim will not be forgotten in Köln anytime soon.
"The vote for Goal of the Year will now only be about second place," said Kwasniok.
Norwegian star breaks Olympic record with sixth Milano Cortina gold
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo adds to his legacy as the greatest Winter Olympian of all-time by winning his sixth gold of these Olympics and 11th overall.