If you want to win championships in college basketball, you'd better have an elite point guard, which is one box Michigan basketball has checked going into the 2026-27 season.
The Wolverines will attempt to defend their title, trying to go back-to-back, and a huge part of those efforts will be Elliot Cadeau, who declared for the NBA draft, but has confirmed his return for next season.
With Trey McKenney also coming back, it gives Michigan basketball one of the best backcourts in the sport, something that Dusty May can certainly work with.
However, after the NBA draft withdrawl deadline provided a clearer picture of who will be playing college basketball next season, two outlets, Busting Brackets and The Field of 68, ranked Cadeau among their top 10 players coming back in college baskeball next season.
Elliot Cadeau ranks among the elite players in college basketball
The Michigan point guard, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four, was ranked as the No. 7 player coming back via Busting Brackets. He's No. 10, according to Field of 68.
Last season, Cadeau, 6-foot-1, averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. Not only was he one of the best playmakers in college basketball, but he also dramatically improved as a scorer, especially from the 3-point line.
After shooting 18 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, then 33.7 percent as a sophomore for North Carolina, Cadeau went from shooting 2.3 threes per game to 4.3 last season for Michigan basketball. Cadeau made 1.6 per game at a 37.6 percent clip.
During the NCAA Tournament, Cadeau averaged 12.3 points per game to go along with 7.5 assists. The rising senior scored 19 points in the national title game, making 8-of-9 free throws. He also shot 38.7 percent from three (12-of-31) and had three games with three 3-pointers, as well as at least one in every NCAA Tournament game.
It feels like having Cadeau in the 7-10 range is just right. However, if he can become even more dynamic as a scorer this season, pushing his average up by a few points, he'd be even more valuable to Michigan.
That could also make him a dark-horse candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year. Many see McKenney as the player ready to take that leap, but it could be Cadeau, too.
Either way, Michigan fans should feel very good about this 2026-27 team, one that already has Dusty May talking about the Final Four in Detroit.
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