The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544538
MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27 They say you can't keep a good man down, and in this case, Cadeau proved unstoppable. He'd already defeated a host of nuts along the way to Michi- gan's national championship. He and his teammates knocked off Ohio State's Buckeyes three times — twice in the reg- ular season, once in the Big Ten Tour- nament. Michigan State fans? Those crazed Wolverine haters fazed neither head coach Dusty May nor his hand- picked point guard, Michigan sweeping the Spartans and their combustible head coach in East Lansing and in the regular- season finale at home. Even before the season began, nutty and uncharitable Tar Heels fans were telling Michigan rooters "good luck" with their former point guard. Cadeau never missed a game in two seasons with North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels in assists both years. But when he bolted for Ann Arbor via the transfer portal, many pointed to his turnovers and occasionally erratic shooting efforts. Nobody laid down on North Carolina roadways to block his departure. Had someone told them Cadeau would be leading a national championship effort 12 months later, they'd have rolled their eyes and stifled a laugh. Cadeau himself didn't arrive at Michi- gan brimming with swagger. At the championship celebration in Crisler Center following Michigan's 69- 63 win over UConn to capture Michi- gan's first national title in basketball since 1989, Cadeau acknowledged his low point. "They completely turned my con- fidence around," Cadeau said of his coaches and teammates. "Coming into this season, it was at an all-time low. The guys behind me just completely changed that for me." Cadeau bounced back out of the hos- pital bed to become more than just a strong piece of the Final Four puzzle. He didn't just guide and bolster Michi- gan's efforts to post wins No. 36 and 37, in the semifinal blowout over Arizona and the defense-heavy nail biter over UConn for the national championship. With grumbling Buckeyes and Spar- tans looking on, and with slack-jawed Tar Heels shaking their heads, Cadeau became the Final Four Most Outstand- ing Player, confetti raining down and a national championship banner soon to go up in Ann Arbor. "Man, it means the world to me," Ca- deau acknowledged after the title game. "I'm just so proud of myself, where I came from. Last year I was really down on myself, a lot of people doubted me, and I'm just so proud of myself for me to be able to say I was the Most Outstanding Player and win a national championship at the same time." He earned it. Against Arizona in the NCAA semifinals, Cadeau dropped a trio of three-point bombs on Arizona, scoring 13 points with 5 rebounds and 4 steals. But his work as a set-up man proved exceptional. He racked up 10 assists, many of them to fellow junior transfer Aday Mara, who slam-dunked his way to 26 points. Even with Michigan on its way to a stunning 91-73 blowout, Cadeau & Co. didn't take a foot off the accelerator. "We felt like we had a lot of games like this," he said. "And we learned from them. Some games the teams actu- ally came back. So, we stressed in the huddle keep our foot on the gas because it's March, it's April. Anything can hap- pen, like they could come back from a 30-point deficit." Given that sort of focus, Arizona couldn't. Neither could UConn in a much tighter game. Cadeau's clutch three- pointer with 12:56 remaining — one of only two long-range makes by the Wol- verines the entire night — put Michigan up by 11, 48-37. The Huskies eventually chopped Michigan's advantage to four, but came no closer. Cadeau came away with a game-high 19 points, several of them on twisting drives around and through an extremely rugged UConn defense. He secured 3 re- bounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, an 8-for-9 effort at the free throw line, a national championship trophy and Most Out- standing Player honors. "I just saw so much talent around me since Day 1," Cadeau said afterward, de- flecting some of the spotlight. "Just a unique set of talent. Three bigs at the same time, switching 1 through 4. I saw a unique type of basketball that we were playing, and I knew it would be a mis- ❱ Cadeau "I'm just so proud of myself, where I came from. Last year I was really down on myself, a lot of people doubted me, and I'm just so proud of myself for me to be able to say I was the Most Outstanding Player and win a national championship at the same time."