Solo Ball, Yaxel Lendeborg injury update: Rival stars expected to play in national championship

Two stars set to square off in the national championship game on Monday night suffered injuries in the Final Four on Saturday. But both UConn‘s Solo Ball and Michigan‘s Yaxel Lendeborg appear ready to suit up in the title game.

Neither player appeared on the NCAA-mandated availability report on Sunday night ahead of the national championship game. That doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be impacted by injury, but they’re at least expected to start the contest.

Michigan might have feared the worst initially when Yaxel Lendeborg went down with a turned ankle in a win over Arizona. He quickly headed to the locker room.

It turns out he was dealing with two injuries. In addition to the turned ankle, Lendeborg has a slight MCL sprain in his left knee.

However, he noted he planned to play unless he absolutely couldn’t walk. And ESPN insider Pete Thamel provided more on Yaxel Lendeborg’s status on Sunday afternoon.

Wolverines trainer Chris Williams detailed the injury and the anticipated treatment. It was extensive.

“Williams called Lendeborg’s ankle sprain ‘low grade’ with minimal swelling,” Thamel wrote. “Williams said he stayed in Lendeborg’s room until 4:30 after the Arizona game treating both his knee and ankle. ‘He’s still tender and walking around a little bit gingerly, but good,’ Williams said. ‘I’m very optimistic.’ After Dusty May joked that Lendeborg played in the second half like a 38-year old at the YMCA, Williams said he’s aiming for a younger and more agile version. ‘Hopefully 18,’ he said of the age aim.

“Williams laid out the next 30 hours or so until tip-off: ‘It should be a lot of treatment still. I’m going to be in his room a lot. He’s going to be in my room a lot. So we’ll be doing treatment around the clock and just trying to manage his pain the best as we can.’”

While Yaxel Lendeborg commanded much of the attention, Solo Ball had a bit less fanfare surrounding his injury. He suffered a foot sprain in the team’s Final Four win over Illinois.

He was in a walking boot and would not practice with the team on Sunday. The UConn guard said that the injury occurred while getting caught in a screen with teammate Tarris Reed. He was able to get through the game with “adrenaline.”

“I’m feeling all right right now,” he said, via Thamel. “I’m doing everything I can to prepare for tomorrow.”

Both squads expect to have their star player back for the national title game, which is set for Monday night at 8:50 p.m. ET. The game will air live on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.