A quick look up and down the North Carolina men’s basketball roster reveals a clear truth: The top-10 ranked Tar Heels are excelling in large part thanks to experience. All four UNC players averaging at least 10 points per game — senior guard RJ Davis (21 points per contest), fifth-year big man Armando Bacot (15.9), junior forward Harrison Ingram (15.1) and fifth-year guard Cormac Ryan (10.4) — are multi-year college players who offer significant experience on head coach Hubert Davis’ team. This same is true when you look at UNC’s top five rebounders (that same quartet plus former Louisville forward Jae’Lyn Withers).
However, North Carolina’s leading assist man represents a youthful aspect on a Tar Heels squad that ranks fourth in Division I basketball experience, according to KenPom. That player is also a previous Kentucky recruit.
North Carolina, the No. 9-ranked team in the country according to the current AP Poll, is led by freshman guard Elliot Cadeau’s 4.1 assists per game. While his shooting splits have been unimpressive — the 6-foot-1 Cadeau is shooting 44.9% from the field, 27.3% from 3-point range, and 54.8% from the foul line — he’s averaging only 1.3 turnovers per game and has started all four of Carolina’s games this season. “I think he thinks the game at a high level,” said Brandon Jenkins, a national scout and recruiting analyst for 247Sports. “I also appreciate his combination of burst and change of pace.” He simply has a significant shift in direction in the way he manoeuvres to create possibilities for himself and others.”
Cadeau has led the Tar Heels to victory over then-No. 20 Arkansas (by 15 points) and then-No. 10 Tennessee (UNC scored 100 points in that one). A 10-day gap between North Carolina’s most recent game (an 11-point loss to defending national champion UConn in New York City) and Saturday’s showcase matchup with No. 14 Kentucky in Atlanta should only allow Cadeau more time in practice to adjust and acclimatise to the college game. “He’s just really talented in general.” (He) has the ability to make open shots. He has a tremendous feel for the game and knows how to engage people. “He takes excellent care of the basketball,” Jenkins remarked. “I think there’s a lot to like about him and how he projects on the screen college surface.”
NOW A NORTH CAROLINA FRESHMAN, CADEAU WAS FORMERLY A KENTUCKY RECRUIT
While a scholarship offer never arrived for Cadeau from Kentucky, there was clear interest in his game from the UK coaching staff. Cadeau was the top-ranked point guard in the 2024 recruiting class, and was in contact with former Kentucky assistant coach K.T. Turner during his recruitment.
Cadeau — who represents Sweden in international basketball because his mother, Michelle, was born there — used his international experience to elevate his recruiting profile. In 2022, Cadeau was named MVP of the FIBA Under-18 European Championship Division B after recording 36 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the championship game, which Sweden won. This led ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony to rank Cadeau as one of the top NBA prospects to emerge from that event
“I feel like I’m quick, athletic, I’m a shot maker and I make the right play at all times,” Cadeau told the Herald-Leader in August 2022, just days after winning that European title. But as Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class took shape, it was clear that despite interest from Turner and the Wildcats, a scholarship offer wouldn’t arrive for Cadeau, who missed his entire sophomore high school season with an ankle injury. After beginning his high school career at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey, Cadeau transferred to upstart Link Academy in Missouri. His junior season at Link was highlighted by winning the 2023 GEICO Nationals championship in early April.
In the midst of that junior season, Cadeau committed to North Carolina in December 2022. In May, he opted to move up a year and reclassify, making him a member of this UNC squad. “I’ve been playing with that 2023 class my whole life, it’s just normal to me. I’m pretty used to it,” Cadeau said. While Cadeau has been hit-or-miss as an NBA mock draft candidate in recent weeks, the talent is clearly there, especially if he opts to spend a second season playing college basketball.
Regardless, this weekend is set to be a major basketball moment for not only Kentucky’s array of freshman guards, but also one at North Carolina that the Wildcats pursued.
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