The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542609
FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 47 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three Best Players 1. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr.: Johnson has been a monster lately, shooting 27-of-36 on two-point field goals (75 per- cent) and 2-of-3 on threes (66.7) over the last five games. He went off for 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 112-71 win over McNeese State Dec. 29, before exploding for 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line with 6 rebounds and 2 steals in a 96-66 triumph over USC Jan. 2. The 6-foot-9, 250-pounder put forth a valiant effort with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in a 91-88 loss to Wisconsin Jan. 10, too. He leads the Big Ten with an 80 percent effective field goal shooting rate during league play, and is fourth in offensive rating (142.8), fifth in two-point field goal percentage (76.5), seventh in block rate (6.5) and 21st in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (4.9) 2. Junior guard Elliot Cadeau: In the five-game stretch, Michigan had a plus-39 net rating (points per 100 possessions on offense mi- nus defense) with Cadeau on the floor versus a plus-23.7 mark when he was on the bench. His value was never more evident than in the middle of the 91-88 loss to Wisconsin Jan. 10, when the Wolverines struggled mightily while he sat with two personal fouls at the end of the first half but scored at an extremely effective rate when he was back in after the break. In fact, Cadeau scored 19 points in a span of less than seven minutes at the beginning of the half. What makes Cadeau so good is that he doesn't have to score to impact the game. Perhaps his best overall performance of the last five was a 7-point outing in the 96-66 win over USC Jan. 2, when he posted 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, helping the Wolverines push the pace and score 28 points in transition. 3. Junior center Aday Mara: The Zaragoza, Spain, native has been impactful on both ends of the floor of late, with his best recent per- formance being a 14-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 2-block and 1-steal showing in a 102-50 victory over La Salle Dec. 21. Over the last five games, opponents shot only 41.8 percent on twos (99th percentile nationally) and 22.7 percent on threes (100th) when he was on the floor — showing his defensive prowess as an elite rim protector. Ad- ditionally, teams assisted on only 36.2 percent of buckets when he was out there during that span (99th percentile). Mara's passing has been off the charts on the other end, with multiple assists in four of the last five games, including 5 in a 112-71 win over McNeese Dec. 29. Key Moment Michigan led by one point at halftime, 38-37, over Wisconsin Jan. 10 at Crisler Center, before the Badgers put on one of the most stun- ning displays of shooting those at the game or watching on televi- sion have seen. Wisconsin made 7 straight threes in less than five minutes and 9 of its first 11 long-distance tries in the second half. Six of those 9 threes came from Wisconsin's forwards — Aleksas Bieliauskas (4) and Nolan Winter (2). Bieliauskas, who was 8-of-27 from deep coming into the year, made three in a row in a surreal se- quence of less than 90 seconds. Each time it seemed like the Badgers would finally cool down, they didn't. Wisconsin scored a whopping 1.74 points per possession in the second half, aided by the three-point barrage, and got it done in handing the Wolverines their first loss of the season. Michigan scored enough to win but couldn't get enough stops, changing de- fenses to no avail for a long stretch in the 91-88 setback. Best Highlight Sophomore guard L.J. Cason posted a career-high 14 points in the 74-72 win over Penn State Jan. 6, all coming in the first half. Im- mediately after checking in, he missed a layup and turned the ball over. But he was fantastic from there on out until halftime, throwing lobs for dunks, getting fouled and making free throws, hitting threes in transition and making contested layups. That was the full Cason experience there — mostly positive. The connection between Cason and Aday Mara was evident. Cason hit him for a lob dunk, and Mara returned the favor with a sick two- handed full-court pass that led to 2 free throws. Bold Prediction While it was hard to envision for a while, the Wolverines finally played another close game (74-72 win over Penn State) and then actually lost (91-88 to Wisconsin). However, the Wolverines will win five of their six remaining games in January by double digits, we'll say. They will take on Washington, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan State — a fairly tough stretch that includes a trip out West. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For U-M's Five Games From Dec. 21 To Jan. 10 Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. leads the Big Ten with an 80 per- cent effective field goal shooting rate during league play through Jan. 11. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL