Michigan’s dominant run through the Big Ten took an unfortunate turn Friday night when guard L.J. Cason went down with a season-ending injury. The sophomore spark plug had been a key piece off the bench, giving the Wolverines a reliable boost on both ends of the floor. Now, as Michigan eyes a deep postseason push, Dusty May’s squad must adjust quickly to life without one of its most trusted contributors.
Michigan’s L.J. Cason Injury Details
On Saturday, Michigan announced that Cason had torn his right ACL and would miss the rest of the season, just as the Wolverines make their assault on the Big Ten and national championships.
During his weekly news conference, Michigan coach Dusty May detailed how Cason got injured against the Fighting Illini.
“At halftime, the training staff came and said he passed all of his jump tests… he said he’s 100 percent ready to go,” May said. “Both of his knees are loose, so we didn’t feel like anything was torn. He comes back in, and he lands funny again. So I don’t know when it happened, he doesn’t know when it happened.”
“When you land funny on a quirky play, those are the ones… they’re not preventable. It’s obviously unfortunate for him because he was playing so well.”
Cason had hit a rich vein of form, scoring in double-figures in four of the Wolverines’ last six games, before Friday night’s freak injury and will miss the Big Dance.
Dusty May Details Michigan’s Adaptation Without Cason
During his weekly news conference, May detailed how the high-flying Wolverines would adapt to life without the ever-reliable Cason, leaving the talented Elliot Cadeau without any consistent backup from the bench.
“I don’t know if he’s the best backup point guard in the country, but I can’t think of one that’s better,” May said. “We’re losing a lot. This will force Elliot to be much more solid with his defensive decision-making; he doesn’t have that insurance policy anymore, named LJ behind him.”
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“This is a great opportunity for Roddy (Gayle) and Trey (McKenney) and Nimari (Burnett) to play more. Our rotation’s been nine, and nine I think is too deep if you want to optimize everyone. But we felt like we had nine guys who deserved to play. We have enough to overcome what LJ brought to the team. It’s on us to find the right rotations and situations.”
Cason was averaging 8.4 points on 50.3% shooting from the floor and 40.2% shooting from beyond the arc, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Wolverines this season, before his injury.
