The injury bug has struck Michigan basketball again.
Michigan has been relatively healthy this season, but with just two games left in the regular season, backup guard L.J. Cason, who was emerging as a star before our eyes, was diagnosed with a torn ACL that will sideline him for the rest of this season, maybe even some of 2026-27.
Cason was playing spectacularly coming off the bench. He averaged 11.8 points and 2.8 assists in his last eight games, shooting 61 percent overall and 54 percent from 3-point range. Cason was a 40-percent 3-point shooter with an elite ability to get to the paint. He was improving on defense, too.
Now, Michigan's nine-man rotation will have to shrink down to eight. There isn't anyone else capable of joining the rotation at this point. It will mean a bigger role for Trey McKenney, as well as more minutes for veterans such as Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle, who have each struggled, especially on offense, during stretches this season.
Winning the national championship just got more difficult
It won't be easy to win six games in March without Cason. It wasn't going to be easy with him. He's been the backup point guard, and according to Dylan Burkhardt of UM Hoops, either Elliot Cadeau or Cason was on the floor for all but five minutes of game action.
That necessitates a change. Whether Roddy Gayle or Trey McKenney handles the backup point guard duties, there will be times without Cadeau or Cason on the floor, although this will mean more minutes for Cadeau.
Cadeau and McKenney will be most directly impacted. McKenney has averaged 20.4 minutes per game during Big Ten play. Cason was playing 18.4. Those can be spread out among four players, yet it feels like McKenney will get the bulk of them.
The freshman has become a star before our eyes. He made four 3-pointers in the win over Minnesota earlier this week, and made two second-half treys that helped Michigan basketball separate from Illinois on Friday night.
Gayle needs to be more consistent offensively, and Burnett will need to keep being a sharpshooter. He's shot 41 percent from beyond the arc during Big Ten play, but will need to maintain that accuracy with a higher volume of 3-point shots. McKenney will need to take more, too.
Cason was shooting 44.6 percent from deep in conference play. Considering that and his dynamic ability, he was good enough to start for just about anyone in the Big Ten. You could say the same for McKenney.
That depth is now being tested. Michigan basketball still has a solid eight-man rotation, but the backcourt now has more pressure, and much of it will be on a true freshman.
Don't get me wrong, Michigan basketball can still win a national championship, as long as guys like McKenney, Gayle, Burnett, and Cadeau can keep their effectiveness with extended minutes.