Michigan's depth will be put to the test after crushing injury news

Michigan's guard depth just took a major hit. 

LJ Cason will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Friday night's 84-70 win over Illinois. The sophomore guard from Lakeland, Florida had been coming on as of late. He averaged 8.4 points per game off the bench, but had bumped that average up to 11.8 in the month of February. Cason had a career high against Northwestern on February 11 and was on pace for his fifth time scoring double digits in the past six games before his injury. 

“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. “We’ve got many goals as a team, and I’ll be locked in supporting my brothers every step of the way.”

LJ Cason done for the season with a torn ACL.

The Wolverines have enjoyed a deep guard rotation all season and the loss of Cason puts a hole in that group. Elliott Cadeau will probably see a bump in minutes as the starter and Trey McKenney will have an increase in role and responsibilities off the bench.

But, more than anything, it felt like Cason was going to have some big games and big moments down the stretch. If you looked at the players on the roster and picked out someone that could make some key plays in the tournament, Cason would've been one of the more popular choices. It just felt like his game was coming together at the right time. 

"If there’s anyone equipped to handle this and the rehab process, it’s LJ.," Dusty May said. "He’s resilient, he’s disciplined, and he has an incredible support system around him.”

Michigan still has plenty of firepower and will still be one of the favorites to reach the Final Four next month, but this is a tough loss.