By R.L. Bynum
Elliot Cadeau’s best game of the season on Saturday wasn’t enough for No. 2 Michigan to avoid its first loss of the season.
Cadeau, with a season-high 15.9 game score, scored a season-high 19 points and dished out three assists, but the Wolverines (14–1, 4–1 Big Ten) lost at home 91–88 to unranked Wisconsin. That tied his career-high, which he previously scored for UNC at Miami in a 75–72 victory on Feb. 10, 2024.
Cadeau scored 17 points in the first seven minutes, driving to the basket and consistently scoring in traffic in addition to sinking a pair of 3-pointers while dishing out three assists against only one turnover.
That came after scoring single-digit points in the previous three games, including Tuesday’s 74–72 win at Penn State when he had nine points, one assist and three turnovers.
Ven-Allen Lubin also rebounded from a couple of bad games to play well on Saturday.
Lubin had scored only seven points in N.C. State’s previous two games, including Tuesday’s 79–71 win over Boston College, before collecting 19 points, five rebounds and a career-high four blocks in the Wolfpack’s 113–69 Saturday victory at Florida State.
Lubin was +29 for the Wolfpack (12–5, 3–1 ACC), and is averaging 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds through 17 games, all starts.
Cade Tyson continued his scoring tear for Minnesota (10–6, 3–2 Big Ten) as the Gophers split two games, upsetting No. 19 Iowa 70–67 before losing at home Saturday 70–69 to USC in overtime.
Tyson had 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Hawkeyes. He played all 45 minutes on Saturday, contributing 20 points, three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and four assists.
Tyson is 11th in the country and second in the Big Ten in scoring at 21.6 per game.
Ian Jackson continues to share point-guard duties and continues to start for St. John’s, which lost 77–71 Tuesday at home to Providence but rebounded to roll Saturday at Creighton 90–73. Jackson had seven points and three steals Tuesday, then 12 points, two 3-pointers and three rebounds on Saturday.
No. 11 Vanderbilt (16–0, 3–0 SEC) remained one of five undefeated men’s teams after two home wins, beating No. 13 Alabama 96–90 on Wednesday and LSU 84–73 on Saturday.
Tyler Nickel continues to be one of the best shooters in the SEC and a stabilizing force for the Commodores, scoring 12 points on Wednesday and recording his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including four 3-pointers, on Saturday. He was 10 of 20 from the floor for the week. He is seventh in the country and second in the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage at 47.5%.
Jalen Washington scored nine points with two blocks on Wednesday and had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks on Saturday.
Will Shaver enjoyed the most productive game of his college career on Wednesday in Samford’s 82–77 home win over Western Carolina. In a career-high 21 minutes, he scored a career-high 11 points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked a shot. In Saturday’s 88–79 loss at Chattanooga, he had one rebound in six scoreless minutes.
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In other action involving former UNC players:
— It was a difficult week for Trayanna Crisp and Mississippi State (14–3, 1–2 SEC), who ran into two ranked opponents and absorbed heavy blows. In Sunday’s 95–47 loss at No. 8 Oklahoma, Crisp played nearly 29 minutes, contributing 7 points, four rebounds, and a steal, though she struggled from the field (2–11 FG). She bounced back with a more efficient effort Thursday against No. 23 Tennessee, scoring 9 points on 3–6 FG in a 90–80 loss, adding two rebounds and three turnovers. The Bulldogs host No. 18 Ole Miss on Sunday.
—RyLee Grays had six rebounds and grabbed a steal in six minutes during a 94–82 win over Temple for Tulsa (11–4, 3–0 American), then scored three points and blocked a shot in Friday’s 76–73 win at Tulane.
—Teonni Key dislocated her elbow after scoring five points and six rebounds in No. 6 Kentucky’s 74–52 Sunday, Jan. 4, win over Missouri and missed Thursday’s 64–51 loss to Alabama. Key’s absence was a big reason the Wildcats (16–2, 3–1 SEC) lost. They rebounded without her to beat No. 5 Oklahoma on Sunday try to rebound at 4 p.m. Sunday against No. 5 Oklahoma 63–58.
— Paulina Paris had six points and four rebounds in as SMU (7–10, 0–5 ACC) lost 91–54 Sunday at N.C. State.
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan guard
6–1, 180 pounds | Junior | UNC 2023–25 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 38 games, 38 starts, 10.2 points, 41.6 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 69.4 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists
Team record: 35–3; Rank: No. 3
Friday: 90–77 win Midwest Regional Sweet 16 in Chicago vs. No. 18 Alabama — Started; 33:37, 17 points, 6–14 FG, 3–8 3FG, 2–5 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 fouls, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block, +15
Sunday: 95–62 win Midwest Regional final in Chicago vs. No. 23 Tennessee — Started; 34:20, 8 points, 3–7 FG, 1–2 3FG, 1–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, +30
Next game — 8:49 p.m. Saturday vs. No. 2 Arizona at Final Four in Indianapolis, TBS
Trayanna Crisp, Mississippi State guard
5–8 | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 30 games, 30 starts, 8.7 points, 38.3 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 84.6 FT%, 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Team record: 18–13
Season ended with SEC tournament loss
RyLee Grays, Tulsa forward
6–4 | Junior | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)
Roster situation — One of four forwards competing for time
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.3 points, 43.6 FG%, 4–10 3FG, 69.7 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 8 blocks, 12 steals
Team record: 19–12
Season ended with loss in American Conference tournament
Ian Jackson, St. John’s guard
6–5, 195 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter, sharing time in a point-guard-by-committee mix
Season statistics — 36 games, 19 starts, 9.4 points, 40.9 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 90.0 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Team record: 30–7; Rank: No. 13
Friday: 80–75 loss in East Regional Sweet 16 in Washington vs. No. 1 Duke — Didn’t start; 16 minutes, 5 points, 2–8 FG, 1–7 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2 assists
Season ended with loss to Duke
Puff Johnson, Ohio State
6–8, 190 pounds | Graduate | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Reserve
Team record: 21–13
Season statistics — 9 games, 1 start, 2.3 points, 33.3 FG%, 3–7 3FG, 6–9 FT, 1.1 rebounds
Season ended with first-round NCAA tournament loss to TCU
Teonni Key, Kentucky forward
6–4 | RS senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starting forward
Season statistics — 28 games, 28 starts, 11.4 points, 51.2 FG%, 2–15 3FG, 69.8 FT%, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Team record: 25–11; Rank: No. 17
Saturday: 76–54 loss in Fort Worth Regional 1 Sweet 16 vs. No. 3 Texas — Started; 31:31, 10 points, 2–8 FG, 0–1 3FG, 6–6 FT, 9 rebounds, 4 fouls, 2 assists, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 block, -17
Season ended with loss to Texas
Ven-Allen Lubin, N.C. State forward
6–9, 250 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting center
Season statistics — 34 games, 34 starts, 13.6 points, ACC-leading 66.8 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 73.3 FT%, 7.1 rebounds
Team record: 20–14
Season ended with NCAA First Four loss to Texas
Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt wing
6–7, 220 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting forward
Season statistics — 36 games, 36 starts, 13.5 points, 44.4 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 84.7 FT%, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Team record: 27–9: Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament
Paulina Paris, SMU guard
5–9 | Senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)
Season statistics — 20 games, 12 starts, 9.6 points, 39.9 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 69.7 FT%, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Team record: 9–21, 2–16 ACC
Season ended with left foot injury in February
Will Shaver, Samford center
6–10, 265 pounds | RS junior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Roster situation — Reserve minutes
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.6 points, 47.6 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 59.3 FT%, 2.6 rebounds, 17 blocks, 7 steals
Team record: 18–14
Season ended with loss in Southern Conference tournament
Cade Tyson, Minnesota wing
6–7, 180 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 31 games, 32 starts, team-leading 19.6 points, 50.0 FG%, 42.2 3P%, 82.6 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Team record: 15–17
Next game — 10:30 Wednesday at College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas vs. Baylor, FS1 (first game since March 11)
Jalen Washington, Vanderbilt center
6–9, 240 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–25 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Backup center
Season statistics — 36 games, 9 starts, 8.9 points, 56.3 FG%, 29.4 3P%, 74.1 FT%, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Team record: 27–9; Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament
Photo via mgoblue.com
