Michigan basketball won the national championship in April, and the Wolverines weren't even 100 percent.
No team is by that point in the season. Yet, beyond the injury to Yaxel Lendeborg in the Final Four, Michigan also had to overcome the injury L.J. Cason suffered in the final weeks of the regular season.
When Cason tore his ACL against Illinois, he had just finished eight consecutive games, scoring at least eight points off the bench, with six of those being double-digit efforts.
Cason was viewed by some of the best backup point guard in college basketball. He was stellar during Big Ten play, averaging 8.8 points per game, dishing out more than two assists, and shooting 44.6 percent from 3-point range.
Had Cason been healthy, Michigan would have had an even easier time winning the national championship. Cason might also help solve the lineup questions facing Dusty May next season,
Michigan's title defense could get a boost from L.J. Cason
The Wolverines have two sure-fire starters in the backcourt with Trey McKennney and Elliot Cadeau. Many have pegged five-star freshman Brandon McCoy as the fifth starter. But if Cason were healthy, he would be another candidate to start next to McKenney and Cadeau.
McKenney could play the three, with Cadeau and Cason as guards. Throw McCoy in the mix, and that's a really good mix. The problem, of course, is that Cason is expected to redshirt this season due to the knee injury.
Michigan G L.J. Cason is already shooting and working on ball-handling coming off ACL surgery in April. He plays to play for the Wolverines in 2026-27 if five-for-five eligibility rule passes and his rehab stays on track.
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) June 16, 2026
Exclusive interview: https://t.co/7o5jTzbJmj pic.twitter.com/FeXeNWBjr1
However, according to Clayton Sayfie of The Wolverine, that might not be the case.
Sayfie reports that Cason is already shooting and dribbling. Cason should be healed in time to play, at least at some point next season, but he didn't want to burn a year of eligibility. Yet, if the five or five rule passes, Cason wouldn't gain anythinng from sitting out.
So, if that passes, expect to see Cason playing for Michigan basketball next season. It won't be until later in the season, but that could be a valuable addition during Big Ten play for a team that feels it might be a player short of winning it all for the second year in a row.
Maybe Cason can become that player. McCoy could be that, too. Either way, Michigan's rotation would be deeper and better with Cason in it.
That didn't seem like a possibility not that long ago. However, if the five-for-five comes to pass, it will benefit Michigan's title defense.
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