A former men's basketball player at Arizona Western College in Yuma is leading his current team into the NCAA Tournament's Final Four next week.
ESPN reports Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 27 points Sunday as the Wolverines returned to the Final Four for the first time since 2018.
Their opponent next Saturday is Arizona, who are in the Final Four for the first time since 2001. The Wildcats from Tucson are looking for the school's second national championship since 1997.
Lendeborg played for AWC from 2021-23. He is a two-time NJCAA All-American and back-to-back ACCAC Player of the Year.
The Associated Press reports Arizona opened as slight favorites — at plus-165 to win the championship, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That was a shade ahead of Michigan, who are plus-180 after their 95-62 romp over Tennessee on Sunday.
But, in one of a few strange twists on the odds chart, the Wildcats are 1 1/2-point underdogs to Michigan in Saturday night's second semifinal.
Arizona plays Michigan Saturday at 5:49 p.m. MT in Indianapolis. You can watch the game on TNT.
