'I played terribly': UNC's Elliot Cadeau vows to bounce back vs Michigan State

CHARLOTTE — When asked to assess his March Madness debut, UNC basketball’s Elliot Cadeau provided a candid response. 

“Me, personally, I think I played terribly,” Cadeau said after the top-seeded Tar Heels’ 90-62 win against No. 16-seeded Wagner on Thursday afternoon at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. 

“I think I’ll play a lot better next game.” 

Cadeau went on to evaluate why he felt he had a poor performance against the Seahawks (17-16) in the 2024 NCAA Tournament’s West Region.

“I just felt like I didn’t help out the team as much as I needed to,” he said. “Still came out on top and that’s all that matters.” 

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The Tar Heels’ freshman point guard finished with four turnovers, three assists and two missed layups in 19 minutes against Wagner. Cadeau had 17 assists and five turnovers across the previous five games.

What RJ Davis said to Elliot Cadeau after NCAA Tournament opener 

UNC guard RJ Davis — the ACC Player of the Year — offered some words of encouragement to Cadeau after the opener. 

Davis, who scored a game-high 22 points, leaned into the “big brother” role with a focus on keeping Cadeau “uplifted.” A member of the ACC's All-Freshman team, Cadeau is averaging 7.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 turnovers per game as UNC's top facilitator.

“We have got more games to play. I know it’s kind of tough. Elliot’s a great player,” Davis said. 

“We’re gonna need him. I just told him, ‘You’re a talented player. You’re gonna be good. We know what you’re capable of and you’re gonna bounce back Saturday. Have a short-term memory and put this game behind you.’” 

But it’s not just Cadeau who has to be better. As a whole, the Tar Heels (28-7) will have to be sharper across the board against No. 9 seed Michigan State (20-14) with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. 

That was the message, Cadeau said, from UNC coach Hubert Davis following the Tar Heels’ rout of Wagner. 

“After the game, he was just telling us how we have to play better,” Cadeau said. “For us … we have to play better than that for us to actually win (again).” 

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.