Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May was happy to see his No. 3-ranked team defeat No. 10-ranked Illinois 84-70 on Friday night, but his mood changed after learning the fate of one of his key players.
On Saturday, it was announced that sophomore guard L.J. Cason had torn his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the rest of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Michigan’s Dusty May Enters March Madness Season Without Key Player
Michigan announced Cason’s status on X on Saturday afternoon, after May and the Wolverines had learned of Cason’s injury first.
Cason finished Friday night’s win with nine points in 13 minutes of action. The school’s basketball program issued a press release about Cason’s injury status on Saturday as well.
“First and foremost, our hearts hurt for L.J.,” May said. “You never want to see a young man who has poured so much into this program have something like this happen. However, if there’s anyone equipped to handle this and the rehab process, it’s LJ. He’s resilient, he’s disciplined, and he has an incredible support system around him.”
LJ Cason will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL during U-M’s victory at Illinois.
Release | https://t.co/rhHw5oM9QW
We’ve got you, LJ. Always.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/s6OQo5MVzN
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) February 28, 2026
Cason helped Michigan win the 2026 Big Ten Conference regular-season championship. Cason finished his season with career bests in points per game (8.4), rebounds per game (1.9), assists per game (2.4), and steals per game (1.0). He also proved to be a steady hand beyond the 3-point arc, hitting 50.3% of his shots from that range.
“This isn’t how I wanted my season to end, but I trust God’s plan, and I’ll attack rehab the same way I approach everything — with focus and determination,” Cason said, according to the school’s press release. “We’ve got many goals as a team, and I’ll be locked in supporting my brothers every step of the way.”
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After defeating Illinois, the Wolverines are now 27-2 overall, 17-1 in Big Ten play. Up next is a Thursday night road game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Then, Michigan comes home for a battle on Sunday, March 8, against head coach Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans.
That wraps up Big Ten regular-season play for Michigan. The Wolverines head into the Big Ten Tournament with a triple bye and will play their first tournament game in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday, March 13.
