Michigan basketball's star point guard is officially back in Ann Arbor for the 2026-27 season after withdrawing his name from the 2026 NBA Draft.
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan's starting ball-handler in 2025-26 and the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four, has cemented himself as a member of U-M's 2026-27 squad. He agreed to a new deal with the Wolverines in mid-April, and sources told the Free Press when he declared for the draft it was solely with the intention of gathering intel.
Cadeau, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound facilitator, averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists per game in his first season with U-M after spending the first two campaigns of his career at North Carolina. He scored in double figures in more than half of U-M's games and recorded three double-doubles during the season.
Cadeau will be a senior next season and will partner in the backcourt with Trey McKenney. He will also be supplemented in the backcourt by five-star freshman Brandon McCoy. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Michigan has the No. 1 incoming class in the nation when combining transfer portal and high school recruits.
Cadeau tied a season high with 19 points in U-M's championship victory over UConn. He averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 assists in six NCAA Tournament games. He showed he can lead a team to the highest levels of the sport even without a true backup. He played 30 minutes or more in nine of Michigan's final 11 games.
Michigan is now just waiting on decisions from Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., both of whom are consistently mocked well inside the first round of the NBA Draft and not expected to return to Ann Arbor. Once their decisions are final, U-M will like use its 15th and final roster spot for additional depth on the wing.