By R.L. Bynum
Elliot Cadeau capped the biggest week of No. 2 Michigan’s amazing season with one of the best performances of his career. Meanwhile, Ian Jackson had a solid game, Ven-Allen Lubin remained consistent, and Teonni Key returned from injury.
After collecting seven points and seven assists in the Wolverines’ 75–72 win Tuesday over No. 5 Nebraska, Cadeau was impactful in their 83–71 win at No. 7 Michigan State on Friday, their first win in East Lansing since 2018.
“I just learned how tough we can be,” Cadeau said, according to 247Sports. “I feel like that’s one of the toughest teams in the country. I felt like we got to most of the 50-50 balls, and we didn’t allow any second-chance points, like barely. So, it just shows how tough we can be if we really want to.”
Cadeau had 17 points and six assists, but was huge down the stretch. He knocked down a game-shifting right-wing 3-pointer coming off a Morez Johnson Jr. screen that pushed the Wolverines ahead by six with 3:07 left.
“I’m definitely appreciative of him because without him I wouldn’t have got that shot,” Cadeau said.
His passes created two late inside baskets for Johnson, including a layup in the closing minute that helped seal the victory.
The night also continued Cadeau’s season-long evolution as a more confident perimeter threat, with three 3-pointers. He has scored at least three 3-pointers four times after doing it only twice in two seasons at UNC. Cadeau, who shot 28.1% from 3-point range as a Tar Heel and 33.7% last season, is shooting 42.0% from outside the arc this season.
Although his assist average of 5.3 is down from last season’s career-high 6.2, his turnover average has dropped from 3.1 last season to 2.6 this season.
Michigan (20–1) is tied for the Big Ten lead with Illinois (19–3).
Jackson’s No. 25 St. John’s team (16–5, 9–1 Big East) is in second place in the Big East, 1½ games back of No. 2 UConn, after he scored a team-high 18 points in Wednesday’s 92–70 home win over Butler, knocking down three 3-pointers.
It was his second straight solid game (16 points on Jan. 24 at Xavier) after going scoreless against Seton Hall on Jan. 20 to help the Red Storm win their seventh straight game.
Jackson has six games with at least three 3-pointers after doing that nine times last season for Carolina.
Ven-Allen Lubin leads the ACC in field-goal percentage at 68.2%. He made all eight shots in scoring 18 points with nine rebounds in Tuesday’s 88–68 win over Syracuse. Lubin was 5 of 8 on Saturday and collected 12 points and eight rebounds as N.C. State (16–6, 7–2 ACC) rolled to a 96–78 win at Wake Forest.
UNC’s Henri Veesaar is second in the league at 62.3%, with Caleb Wilson fourth at 58.9%. Lubin shot 68.4% last season at Carolina.
After missing six games for No. 16 Kentucky with a dislocated right elbow, Teonni Key returned to action with a double-double in the Wildcats’ 93–73 win at Arkansas on Sunday. Key collected 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists for UK (18–5, 5–4 SEC). It was her 16th career double-double and fourth this season.
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After losing three in a row, No. 15 Vanderbilt (19–3, 6–3 SEC) has won three in a row, blowing out Kentucky 80–55 at home on Tuesday and beating Ole Miss 71–58 on Saturday.
Tyler Nickel had 19 points and two 3-pointers against UK, but only five points while battling foul trouble against Ole Miss. Jalen Washington started both games after only starting once before last week. He combined for four points and 11 rebounds, going scoreless with nine rebounds against Kentucky.
Cade Tyson’s Minnesota team (10–12, 3–8 Big Ten) has lost seven straight games. He missed Wednesday’s 67–63 loss at Wisconsin with an ankle injury suffered in the Jan. 24 loss to Nebraska. Tyson returned to score 17 points but missed all four 3-point attempts in the Gophers’ 77–75 loss Sunday at Penn State.
Trayanna Crisp scored 15 points and three 3-pointers on Thursday to help Mississippi State (16–7, 3–6 SEC) pull a 77–62 road upset of No. 15 Tennessee.
She followed that up with 18 points and a career-high six 3-pointers in an 88–80 home loss Sunday to Missouri. That topped her previous high of five 3-pointers in a 15-point game for UNC last season on Nov. 25 in a 69–39 win over Indiana.
After starting in the previous eight games she played, Paulina Paris has come off the bench in the last two games for SMU (8–14, 1–9 ACC), which has lost three straight games. In the Mustangs’ only game last week, she had seven points and one assist in 21 minutes of their 83–54 loss at Clemson.
In other action over the last week involving former UNC players:
—Puff Johnson combined for seven points and five rebounds over 25 minutes as Ohio State (14–7, 6–5 Big Ten) beat Penn State 84–78 but lost 92–82 at Wisconsin.
—RyLee Grays combined for six points and four rebounds in two wins for Tulsa (15–6, 7–2 American), a 77–48 win over Florida Atlantic and a 74–69 double-overtime victory over Memphis, going scoreless in the latter game.
—Will Shaver had four points in both games last week for Samford (11–12, 4–6 Southern Conference), a 78–73 loss at Furman and an 88–74 win at Western Carolina.
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
Photos via mgoblue.com
