Both players suffered foot injuries in their teams' semifinal wins on Saturday.
Sunday seems to have ended much better than it started for UConn starting guard Solo Ball.
Head coach Dan Hurley revealed Sunday morning that Ball was in a walking boot due to a left-foot sprain and his availability for the NCAA Tournament championship game against Michigan was unclear.
By the evening, Ball was not listed on the NCAA injury report, meaning UConn is making him available to play Monday night in the tournament finale in Indianapolis.
Hurley appeared at the morning media session with all five of his starters, and Ball described how the foot injury happened.
“I got through it with adrenaline, but it happened in the first half,” he said of UConn’s 71-62 win over Illinois in the first national semifinal on Saturday.
UConn's Solo Ball is seen walking with a boot for a sprained foot after a news conference ahead of the Final Four of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images“I think my foot got caught with T (Tarris) Reed with the screen, and it kind of just happened. But I'm feeling all right right now. Just leaving it up to the medical staff. I'm doing everything I can to prepare for tomorrow.”
Hurley said Ball would not participate in on-court activities on Sunday. Ball optimistically said he wouldn’t miss the game.
“Just being in the national championship game, just got to prepare the exact same way we've prepared all season, so bump in the road, but, I mean, still going to play,” he said.
Ball, a junior, has played in 38 of 39 games this season for the Huskies (34-5).
He's averaging 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Ball led the Big East in three-point percentage last season (41.4%) but regressed this season, hitting only 29.6%. His overall field goal percentage also is down to 39.2% from 43.9%.
Ball has had an up-and-down tournament. He scored nine points in a first-round win over Furman but went scoreless in the Round of 32 against UCLA. He has scored in double figures in each game since (12, 10 and 13 points).
Michigan update
On the Michigan (36-3) side of the court, the name of forward Yaxel Lendeborg also did not appear on the injury report.
Lendeborg suffered a bone bruise to his left foot in the first half of the Wolverines’ 91-73 semifinal win against Arizona.
The 6-foot-9 Lendeborg was the Big Ten Player of the Year and an Associated Press first-team All-American.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) rests on the bench in the first half of the Wolvernes' Final Four game against Arizona at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday. He is shown with his injured left foot elevated. Credit: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images“All imaging has come back clean, and he's getting treatment and doing rehab all day today,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said Sunday. “I'm sure he'll give it a go [on Monday], but that will be entirely up to him and the medical staff. They'll tell me if he can go.”
May said he noticed a difference in his star’s play in the second half against Arizona.
“We were laughing,” he said. “He played the second half like a 38-year-old at the YMCA -- and a really good 38-year-old at the YMCA.”
On the season, Lendeborg has averages of 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. He is shooting 52.3% from the field.
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