Michigan’s L.J. Cason out for season with torn ACL

The injury bug is overtaking college basketball and bit another top team Friday night.

On Saturday evening, Michigan announced that L.J. Cason, a key reserve guard, tore his ACL in the Wolverines’ win at Illinois on Friday, ending his season.

Though not a starter, Cason is a huge loss for one of the presumed title favorites. He was averaging 8.4 points and 2.6 assists in 18.6 minutes per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point range. He often gave the Wolverines a spark off the bench when it was needed. His most notable performance came in Michigan’s comeback win at Northwestern on Feb. 11, when he tallied 18 points in a game where the Wolverines looked lifeless offensively in the first half.

The sophomore guard was also playing his best ball lately. He was averaging 12.1 points per game over the seven games before his injury, and he had racked up nine points and two assists in just 13 minutes against the Illini before going down with his injury.

Cason’s shot-making — he made 44.6 percent of his 3s in Big Ten play – will be missed most, but the loss of his playmaking will also hurt. He provided a layer of security if starter Elliot Cadeau was having an erratic game, but now the pressure on Cadeau’s shoulders grows.

Michigan had essentially the same point differential with or without Cason on the floor, per CBB Analytics. He and Cadeau are vastly different players, but they both impacted the game on both ends of the floor. The problem now is how to replace Cason’s minutes. One option is to let blue-chip freshman Trey McKenney handle the ball more while increasing his minutes load. Veteran wing Roddy Gayle Jr. should also see his role grow. Stylistically, the Wolverines may have to run their attack through big men Yaxel Lendeborg as a point forward and Aday Mara as a post facilitator with more frequency, as well.

Thanks to their dominant frontcourt and stifling defense, the Wolverines remain a top championship contender alongside Duke and Arizona. But without Cason’s microwave upside off the bench, their margin for error becomes thinner. Michigan will play its first game without Cason on Thursday, when Dusty May’s team heads to Iowa City to take on Iowa.