‘My motivation was to shut him up’: Michigan’s Lendeborg says Colin White’s comments fueled UM

If there was any question of whether Colin White’s postgame comments after the Minnesota game made their way up to Ann Arbor, Michigan, star forward Yaxel Lendeborg made it clear after Michigan’s 74-62 win over Ohio State that they heard him loud and clear.

After Ohio State’s 82-74 overtime win over Minnesota last week, the in-arena host grabbed White, who had a crucial steal and score in overtime, for the postgame on-court interview. When asked about the Buckeyes’ upcoming game with Michigan, White proclaimed Ohio State was “coming for blood” and reminded everyone that they hate Michigan.

“We hate Michigan, so we’re coming out for blood,” he said. “We’re going up there to win, and we’re going to have fun doing it.”

Ohio State pushed the Wolverines Friday night like few have this year, carrying a lead deep into the second half at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. An Ivan Njegovan floater gave the Buckeyes a 48-47 lead with 10:45 remaining in the game, but a Devin Royal technical foul immediately after, combined with an L.J. Cason layup 13 seconds later, gave the Wolverines a 50-48 lead, and Michigan would not trail again.

The Wolverines outscored Ohio State 22-11 over the final eight minutes of the game, winning by double-digits and beating Ohio State for the fifth time in their last six tries. White finished with two points, two rebounds, and one assist in nine minutes.

Lendeborg finished the game as Michigan’s leading scorer, with 18 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 31 minutes. After the game, FOX’s Gus Johnson interviewed him on the floor, asking him what was “going through his mind” during the game.

“So I started the game, and I just wanted to stick it to Mr. Colin White. We got bench players talking like starters, so that was pretty much my motivation for the entire game, it was to shut him up, and you know, show him who the real team is in this rivalry.”

FOX tweeted out the interview with Johnson the day after the game, which also included a brief clip of White fouling Michigan’s Trey McKenney while superimposing White’s final stat line over him with a loud fart sound over top of the clip.

White’s comment didn’t just reach Michigan’s team —- the sophomore forward was also booed loudly by the entire Michigan student section every time he touched the ball, checked into, or out of the game on Friday night.

When asked on Sunday if he had talked to White about his pre-game comments, Ohio State head coach Diebler said that perhaps he would have “worded it a little bit differently,” but that there was no reason to pull White aside to ask why he said what he said. Diebler also said that if Lendeborg wanted to comment on what White said about Michigan, he “earned the right” to do so.

“I love this rivalry. Love it,” he said. “Little back and forth? Awesome. You don’t want to give them bulletin board material. I understand that sentiment, but I want this game to mean more to our team and our program, like it does to other sports on our campus.

“Would I have said the same thing Colin said? I don’t know, maybe would’ve worded it a little different. This idea that this is a big-time game and we want to go up there and get a win? Absolutely. If Yaxel wants to comment on what he said, he earned the right to do that. I like it. I haven’t pulled Colin aside and said, ‘Why’d you do that?‘ We turned the page. We talked about things we need to do better, because we play them again (Feb. 8).”

The teams will meet again in less than two weeks — the rematch will be a 1 p.m. ET nationally televised showdown, this time on CBS. The Wolverines are chasing their first regular-season Big Ten title since 2021. Ohio State is seeking its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022, having been more or less eliminated from Big Ten title contention with four conference losses before February. A win over the Wolverines, a likely 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, would put the Buckeyes on the fast track back to the big dance. Lendeborg and Michigan would love nothing more than to play a part in keeping Ohio State out for the fourth consecutive season.

Ohio State has three games between now and Feb. 8, so there won’t be a ton of time for the Buckeyes to dwell on the loss or Lendeborg’s words minimizing the Ohio State program as “not a real team.” But regardless, don’t expect to hear much chatter coming from Columbus before round two — it didn’t work out too terribly well the first time.