By R.L. Bynum
St. John’s and Michigan are the top seeds in league tournaments this week, but Elliot Cadeau had an up-and-down week, while Ian Jackson’s slump continued. Ven-Allen Lubin produced one good game for struggling N.C. State, while Cade Tyson had two big games.
Meanwhile, some women’s conference tournaments have already been completed, with Teonni Key having three good games for No. 17 Kentucky.
The No. 3 Wolverines (29–2, 19–1 Big Ten) won twice to finish the best regular season in program history. In Thursday’s 71–68 win at Iowa, Cadeau collected 11 points and nine assists.
But Cadeau only had two points and two assists in Sunday’s 90–80 home win over No. 8 Michigan State, his seventh game this season with five or fewer points and seventh with two assists or fewer.
In the six-day, 18-team Big Ten Tournament, No. 1-seed Michigan plays at noon Friday against either No. 8 Ohio State, No. 9 Iowa, No. 16 Oregon or No. 17 Maryland. The latter two meet in Tuesday’s first round.
Cade Tyson’s Minnesota team (15–16, 8–12) is the No. 11 seed and meets No. 14-seed Rutgers in the second round of the Big Ten tournament at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Tyson scored 21 points and three 3-pointers in Wednesday’s 77–47 loss at Indiana. He scored 15 points in Saturday’s 67–66 home win over Northwestern, playing the entire game for the seventh time this season.
Puff Johnson didn’t play in either Ohio State game last week because of a foot injury. The Buckeyes (20–11, 12–8) are the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten tournament and face No. 9-seed Iowa at noon Thursday.
Jackson had three fouls in three scoreless minutes in the 72–65 Friday win for the No. 18 Red Storm (25–6, 18–2 Big East) at Seton Hall. It was his eighth time failing to score in double digits in the last nine games, with three or fewer points in four of those games.
No. 1-seed St. John’s opens Big East tournament play at noon Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 8 Butler and No. 9 Providence.
Ven Allen-Lubin scored six points in 12 minutes, both season lows, while battling foul trouble in Monday’s 94–64 home loss to No. 1 Duke. He rebounded with a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season in his senior-day game, an 86–84 Saturday loss to Stanford.
N.C. State (19–12, 10–8 ACC) hasn’t won since beating North Carolina, and takes a four-game losing streak into the ACC tournament. The Wolfpack is the No. 7 seed, and plays in the second round at noon Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday’s Pittsburgh-Stanford first-round game.
Key was consistent in three SEC tournament games for No. 17 Kentucky (23–10), and now awaits Selection Sunday to see where the Wildcats start the NCAA tournament.
The senior forward had 12 points in Wednesday’s 94–64 win over Arkansas, then 14 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday’s 76–61 win over Georgia for her sixth double-double of the season. In the Wildcats’ 87–64 quarterfinals loss to No. 3 South Carolina, she collected 13 points and eight rebounds.
Tyler Nickel continued to see his scoring output dip as No. 24 Vanderbilt (24–7, 11–7 SEC) won its final two regular-season games, making only 2 of 9 3-point attempts but pulling down five rebounds in each game. He’s scored in single digits in three of the last five games after doing so in only five of his first 26.
Nickel had nine points in Tuesday’s 89–86 overtime win at Ole Miss and seven points in Saturday’s 86–82 victory at Tennessee.
Jalen Washington, who has come off the bench in the last three games after starting the previous eight, scored seven points in both games last week. He had three rebounds before fouling out against Ole Miss and had eight rebounds against Tennessee.
Elsewhere among former UNC players:
— Trayanna Crisp had three points and two assists as Mississippi State (18–13) lost 86–68 on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC tournament to Florida.
— RyLee Grays combined for 21 minutes, five points and two steals as Tulsa (19–11, 11–7 American) split its final two regular-season games, winning 53–41 at UTSA on Wednesday and losing 76–61 at home Saturday against East Carolina. The Golden Hurricane opens play in the American Conference tournament at 1 p.m. Thursday.
— Will Shaver had two points and two blocks as Samford (18–14) lost 86–61 Saturday to Furman in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament.
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Elina Aarnisalo, UCLA guard
5–10 | Junior | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 36 games, 26 starts, 26.7 minutes, 10.2 points, 47.3 FG%, 40.4 3P%, 76.1 FT%, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.2 turnovers
Monday’s opener — No. 11 UCLA 73, Lehigh 53 (home) | started: 29 minutes, 9 points, 4–9 FG, 1–4 3FG, 3 rebounds, 1 foul, 4 assists, 0 turnovers
Thursday — 10 p.m. vs. UC Irvine, B1G+
Liza Astakhova, BYU wing
6–2 | Sophomore | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 12 games, 57 minutes, 25 points, 34.5 FG%, 20.0 3P%, 3–4 FT, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
Season opener — 9 p.m. Tuesday vs. Idaho State
Thursday, Nov. 5 — 9 p.m. vs. Portland
Luka Bogavac, Oklahoma State guard
6–6, 215 pounds | Senior | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 33 games, 21 starts, 24.3 minutes, 9.8 points, 40.2 FG%, 34.9 3P%, 73.6 FT%, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.4 of a steal
Monday’s opener — Oklahoma State 91, Incarnate Word 60 (home) | didn’t start: 15 minutes, 14 points, 5–9 FG, 2–5 3FG, 2–2 FT, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Friday — 9 p.m. vs. Queens, ESPN+
James Brown, Howard center
6–10, 240 pounds | Junior | UNC 2024–26 (2 seasons)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 9 games, 50 minutes, 11 points, 75.0 FG%, 38.5 FT%, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers
Monday’s opener — Yale 72, Howard 62 (road) | started: 30 minutes, 11 points, 5–8 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1–4 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 4 steals, 2 fouls
Thursday — 7 p.m. at Alcorn State, SWAC TV
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan guard
6–1, 180 pounds | Junior | UNC 2023–25 (2 seasons)
Statistics last season — 40 games, 40 starts, 10.5 points, 41.1 FG%, 37.6 3P%, 70.9 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.4 turnovers
Team record: 37–3; won national championship; Cadeau MOP
Monday’s opener — No. 16 Michigan 84, Oakland 68 (home) | started: 34 minutes, 7 points, 1–5 FG, 0–4 3FG, 5–6 FT, 0 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 steals, 2 fouls
Thursday — 8 p.m. Friday vs. UConn in Boston, TNT, truTV
Derek Dixon, Arizona guard
6–5, 205 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 33 games, 16 starts, 22.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 36.4 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 81.8 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.4 of a steal
Monday’s opener — No. 22 UCLA 84, No. 5 Arizona 75 (in Las Vegas) | started: 38 minutes, 18 points, 5–17 FG, 4–12 3FG, 4–4 FT, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 1 steal, 4 fouls, plus/minus of 0
Thursday — 10:30 vs. Cal Poly, truTV
Kyan Evans, Minnesota guard
6–2, 175 pounds | Senior | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 33 games, 17 starts, 17.7 minutes, 4.0 points, 32.8 FG%, 30.5 3P%, 69.2 FT%, 1.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 of a steal, 1.1 turnovers
Monday’s opener — Minnesota 85, North Dakota 50 (home) | started: 28 minutes, 4 points, 1–7 FG, 1–4 3FG, 1–2 FT, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals, 3 fouls
Friday — 7 p.m. vs. St. Thomas, NBCSN, Peacock
Lanie Grant, TCU guard
5–9 | Junior | UNC 2024–26 (2 seasons)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 34 games, 29 starts, 29.1 minutes, 10.8 points, 44.0 FG%, 41.9 3P%, 81.4 FT%, 1.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 of a steal, 1.8 turnovers
Preseason rank: No. 15
Season opener — 7:30 Tuesday vs. Oral Roberts, ESPN+
Thursday — 7:30 vs. LeMoyne, ESPN+
RyLee Grays, Tulsa forward
6–4 | Senior | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)
Statistics last season— 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 opener — 7:30 Tuesday vs. Incarnate Word
Saturday — 3 p.m. Saturday vs. Rogers State
Taliyah Henderson, Clemson guard
6–1 | Sophomore | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season— 33 games, 0 starts, 341 minutes, 122 points, 56.8 FG%, 28.6 3P%, 48.3 FT%, 66 rebounds, 9 assists, 23 steals, 1 block
Monday’s opener — Clemson 68, Radford 47 (home) | started: 30:22, 15 points, 6–12 FG, 1–4 3FG, 2–4 FT, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls
Thursday — 7 p.m. vs. ETSU, ACCNE
Plays UNC — 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, at Clemson, The CW
Zayden High, South Florida forward
6–10, 230 pounds | Senior | UNC 2023–26 (2 seasons)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 23 games, 103 minutes, 18 points, 31.6 FG%, 0–8 3FG, 54.5 FT%, 26 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks
Monday’s opener — South Florida 98, Charleston Southern 71 (home) | started: 22 minutes, 20 points, 9–15 FG, 1–3 3FG, 1–2 FT, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 3 fouls
Thursday — 8:30 at DePaul, truTV
Ian Jackson, St. John’s guard
6–5, 200 pounds | Junior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Statistics last season — 36 games, 19 starts, 9.4 points, 40.9 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 90.0 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Monday’s opener — St. John’s 78, Monmouth 63 (home) | started: 22 minutes, 15 points, 6–12 FG, 3–5 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls.
Sunday — noon vs. Iona at Madison Square Garden, Peacock
Ven-Allen Lubin, N.C. State forward
6–9, 235 pounds | Graduate | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Statistics last season — 34 games, 34 starts, 13.6 points, ACC-leading 66.8 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 73.3 FT%, 7.1 rebounds
Monday’s opener — N.C. State 83, Campbell 64 (home) | started: 26 minutes, 20 points, 8–8 FG, 3–3 3FG, 1–2 FT, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls
Friday — 7 p.m. vs. ETSU, ACCNE
Plays UNC — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, in Tobacco Road Classic in Greensboro, ESPN2
Ivan Matlekovic, Pacific center
7–0, 220 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 4 games, 7 minutes, 2 points, 1–1 FG
Season opener — Tuesday vs. Bethesda, ESPN+
Saturday — 8 p.m. at Bradley, ESPN+
Jonathan Powell, Pittsburgh wing
6–6, 191 pounds | Junior | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 33 games, 16.2 minutes, 4.8 points, 38.1 FG%, 36.5 3P%, 48.3 FT%, 2.4 rebounds, 0.7 of an assist, 0.5 of a steal
Monday’s opener — Pittsburgh 95, Rider 57 (home) | started: 28 minutes, 18 points, 6–9 FG, 6–9 3FG, 0–2 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block
Thursday — 7 p.m. vs. Buffalo, ACCNE
Plays UNC — 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, in Pittsburgh, ESPN or ESPN2
Will Shaver, Samford center
6–10, 265 pounds | RS senior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Statistics last season — 30 games, 2.6 points, 47.6 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 59.3 FT%, 2.6 rebounds, 17 blocks, 7 steals
Monday’s opener — Samford 87, Berry 58 (home) | started: 18 minutes, 17 points, 7–10 FG, 3–4 3FG, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 4 blocks, 2 fouls
Saturday — 4 p.m. at UNLV
Seth Trimble, Louisville guard
6–3, 200 pounds | Fifth-year | UNC 2022–26 (4 seasons)
Statistics last season (UNC) — 24 games, 14.0 points, 47.1 FG%, 28.6 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.4 turnovers
Monday’s opener — No. 11 Louisville 84, Chattanooga 70 (home) | started: 27 minutes, 13 points, 4–11 FG, 1–5 3FG, 4–7 FT, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 4 fouls
Saturday — noon vs. Morehead State, ACCNE
Plays UNC — 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, at Louisville, ESPNU; 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at UNC, ESPN
In eligibility limbo
Minnesota forward Cade Tyson
Tennessee center Jalen Washington
Photo via gophersports.com
