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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 14: L.J. Cason #2 of the Michigan Wolverines dribbles the ball up court during the second half of a college basketball game against the UCLA Bruins at Crisler Arena on February 14, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Michigan Wolverines won the game 86-56. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During the second half of the Michigan-Michigan State basketball game on Sunday afternoon, CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported some pretty big news about Michigan guard L.J. Cason.
The sophomore tore his ACL in the Big Ten championship-winning game at Illinois last Friday and will be out the rest of the season. But it sounds like he will be out for all of next season as well, as Wolfson reported that Cason’s rehab will go into December and that the expectation is he will take a redshirt during the 2026-27 season.
When asked about that on Monday morning, head coach Dusty May confirmed Cason has yet to have surgery and will not receive it until sometime after the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. It sure sounds like a redshirt year is the likely scenario.
“Timing (went into the decision), I mean he hasn’t had surgery yet, but I think — I can’t imagine bringing him back in January after not playing (for so long),” May said. “…We lean on (the medical staff). Once again, I don’t comment on things that I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking, studying, reading about. And so when it comes to the medical side, I just lean on our elite support staff.”
Before tearing his ACL at Illinois, Cason was in the midst of a breakout sophomore campaign in which he averaged 8.4 points, 2.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. He was also Michigan’s best three-point shooter statistically, converting on 40.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Cason was often the first man off the bench, and he made a huge impact in some of Michigan’s games later in the season. He averaged 11.75 points in the month of February, including a season-high 18 points in the comeback win at Northwestern. He also put up 14 points against Minnesota, and 13 points against both UCLA and Purdue.
This is huge news for Michigan’s 2026-27 season. It is unclear if starting point guard Elliot Cadeau will be back; odds are he will be, as there haven’t been any NBA mock drafts that have him as a first-round selection. Freshman Trey McKenney is also expected back next season, and the Wolverines will welcome in true freshman shooting guard Joseph Hartman.
However, in this day and age of college athletics, you just never know who is going to be on your roster next season. All that said, it wouldn’t be surprising for Michigan to go after a point guard in the transfer portal this offseason. Even if Cadeau and McKenney come back next year, the Wolverines will need depth at the very least. And with Cason very likely to be out for all of next season, May and company will need some reliable minutes from another player at the position.
But that’s a problem for another day, as the Wolverines are preparing for the Big Ten Tournament this week. Their quest for another tournament championship begins on Friday at noon ET.
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