ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — No. 3 Michigan lost the best backup point guard in college basketball, according to coach Dusty May, when L.J. Cason tore a knee ligament as the team clinched an outright Big Ten title with a win at No. 10 Illinois.
The Wolverines will certainly miss the smooth-shooting sophomore, who averaged 8.4 points and more than one 3-pointer per game, but May said the injury will give guards an opportunity to play larger roles.
Starting point guard Elliot Cadeau plays about 25 minutes a game, a number that may increase if he can avoid foul trouble.
“This will force Elliot to be much more solid with his defense and decision-making,” May said. “He doesn't have that insurance anymore.
"L.J. came in and carried the load several games.”
Cason was injured on Saturday night in a 14-point win over the Fighting Illini on Friday night, and the team announced the next day that he needed season-ending surgery. He scored in double digits five times in February, including a career-high 18 points against Northwestern, and had at least seven points in every game last month.
Freshman Trey McKenney, sixth-year player Nimari Burnett and senior Roddy Gayle each average about 20 minutes a game — and all of them will have a chance to be on the court more without Cason.
“We look at this as another challenge that’s also an opportunity for guys to play a little bit more, to play longer periods, play through a mistake, play a little bit different role,” May said. “We do feel like these guys are a lot better than they were earlier in this year, and so we’re prepared to handle whatever.”
The Wolverines will close the regular season at Iowa on Thursday night and at home against rival Michigan State on Sunday. They they will play in the Big Ten tournament next week in Chicago, hoping to win it and perhaps secure a top seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Sherri Roberts Quartet with Sherri Roberts vocals, Dave Udolf piano, Chris Amberger bass, an… Read more"I'm Hip" A Tribute to the Hep-Cat Singers-Songwriters of Jazz
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Dirk van Ulden said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.