BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
The Michigan Wolverines are national champions, and one of its players kept receipts.
Michigan’s starting point guard Elliot Cadeau had words for this critics during the team’s celebration in the locker room after the team’s 69-63 over UConn Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“They tried telling me I couldn’t do it,” Cadeau said on Instagram after the game. “They tried to tell me I was ass.”
Cadeau transfered into Michigan ahead of this season from North Carolina, where he averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 assists, along with 3.1 turnovers, per game, This year, Cadeau played a key part in Michigan’s championship run, stepping up after LJ Cason went down with injury, averaging 10.5 points, 5.9 assists and 2.4 turns. He scored a game-high 19 points against UConn..
Michigan coach Dusty May was asked what made him take a flyer on Cadeau last year.
“We felt like we needed a quarterback, a pass-first quarterback on the floor at all times,” May said postgame. “I called [North Carolina assistant] Sean [May] and he gave me all of the intel. I just said, “Let me ask you one question. Would 17-18 year-old Sean May want to play with Elliot Cadeau? And he said “Expletive yeah. Absolutely, let’s go.” And I said, that’s all I needed to know because Sean is one of the smartest, best players I’ve ever been around. And so he’s (Elliot) made us better coaches and hopefully, we’ve helped him become a better player.”
Michigan is the first team in NCAA history to win a championship with all five starters being transfers. The Wolverines won the first national title for a Big 10 team since Michigan State in 2000.
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