By R.L. Bynum
Elliot Cadeau exacted his revenge on Alabama in one of two impressive performances that have returned Michigan to the Final Four. Meanwhile, Ian Jackson’s St. John’s team came two wins short, and Cade Tyson pursues a title on a much smaller stage.
Cadeau combined for 25 points and 17 assists as the No. 3-ranked Wolverines rolled to a 90–77 Midwest Regional semifinal victory Friday in Chicago over No. 18 Alabama and a 95–62 dismantling of No. 23 Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
Michigan (35–3) takes on No. 2 Arizona (36–2) in a battle of No. 1 seeds in the second Final Four semifinal in Indianapolis at 8:49 p.m. Saturday (TBS).
Cadeau was eager to face the Crimson Tide after they ended his freshman season in the 2024 West Regional Sweet 16.
“I feel like I didn’t play as good as I could’ve last time, so I just want to play my best basketball,” Cadeau said before the Alabama game. He had eight points and one assist in the Tar Heels’ 89–87 loss to the Tide on March 28, 2024, in Los Angeles.
“A lot of people in college [were] telling me I didn’t know how to shoot,” said Cadeau, who has made 37.7% of his 3-point attempts this season and is averaging 5.8 assists. “Coming out here and making a lot, double my threes than last year, and making a lot at a higher clip is very satisfying for me.”
Against Alabama, he collected 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 33½ minutes, the right blend of aggression and control as Michigan turned a two‑point halftime deficit into a comfortable win.
Sunday, Michigan settled the game with a 21–0 first‑half run, and Cadeau’s fingerprints were everywhere on the way to 10 assists against just three turnovers.
“I think it was our offense,” Cadeau said. “Doing a good job passing the ball and just shutting them down on offensive glass. We had confidence in our first-shot defense, but they’re the best offensive rebounding team in the country, so that was a big emphasis for us, to just get the rebound.
Cadeau surpassed 1,000 career points during the regional final, giving him 1,005 in 112 games.
“Transition offense is a big part of this game,” he said. “We felt like they didn’t want to run with us, and so we pushed the pace a lot in transition.”
The Wolverines have completed a rare NCAA tournament streak with four double-digit wins while scoring at least 90 points in each game. In UNC’s run to the 2009 title, every win was by double digits, but the Tar Heels only topped 90 points twice.
“He just sets the pace and the tone of the game,” guard Nimari Burnett said of Cadeau after Sunday’s win. “He sees things that we don’t even see ourselves. A super unselfish guy, so the success that he has deserves it and more.”
It didn’t go so well for Ian Jackson, who lost to Duke for the fourth time in his career. No. 13 St. John’s lost in the East Regional Sweet 16 80–75 to the Blue Devils on Friday.
Jackson, while struggling on the defensive end, had only five points on 2 of 8 shooting in 16 minutes off the bench with two rebounds and two assists.
Also still playing despite having a losing record is Cade Tyson’s Minnesota team. The 15–17 Gophers play in the eight-team College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the second season of the event.
Minnesota, which hasn’t played since losing 72–67 to Rutgers in the Big Ten tournament on March 11, faces Baylor (16–16) in a quarterfinal game at the MGM Grand Arena on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. (FS1).
A win would advance the Gophers to a semifinal game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Wednesday’s 8 p.m. quarterfinal game between Oklahoma (19–15) and Colorado (17–15).
Minnesota doesn’t have the worst record of the teams in the tournament. That distinction goes to Rutgers (14–19), which faces Creighton (15–17) in one Thursday quarterfinal, with West Virginia (18–14) and Stanford (20–12) meeting in the other.
The championship game is at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena.
Tyson leads Minnesota in scoring at 19.6 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 42.2% from 3-point range.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
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
