Michigan basketball may not have beaten Minnesota on Tuesday night had it not been for the play of reserve point guard LJ Cason.
The former FAU commit who followed Dusty May to Ann Arbor came off the bench and shined — as he has for much of the past month. Cason wasn’t just the second-leading scorer on Tuesday, but his 14 points came at a crucial time when the Wolverines were stuck in the mud offensively against the Gophers’ two-three zone. Cason came in, drained a couple of 3s, and provided a much-needed spark in a crucial time.
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After the game, Cason shared his reaction to his big game — another in a continuing streak he’s on. And while he’s pleased, he’s aware that he’s not always going to be on the way he was on Tuesday evening.
“It means a lot, it just shows the work that I put in,” Cason said. “And I just know that regardless of the shots going in, I mean, every game is a different game. Tomorrow I might go 0-for-3, and the next day I might go 6-for-6. So it doesn’t really matter, it’s just about how I play outside of the shots.”
Now that Minnesota is in the rearview, Cason says he and the team are already looking forward to another big Big Ten showdown forthcoming this weekend.
The Wolverines are traveling to Champaign to face a ranked Illinois team that will be among the best teams they’ve faced this year. Win and Michigan is in sole possession of the Big Ten regular season championship. Lose, and they’ve got some work to do for that, as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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But Cason insists that they’re ready for the challenge, especially for former Illini forward Morez Johnson Jr., who is the second Wolverine who transferred in this year to face his former team.
“We definitely turned the page quick,” Cason said. “I think this one was really important for us. Definitely coming off the loss against Duke, it’s a routine, but also just for our teammates. We really pride ourselves on just coming in and playing as best as we can to beat other teams that our former teammates played on. So the one for Illinois is for us.”
The Wolverines and Illini will tip off at 8 p.m. EST at State Farm Center on Saturday, and the game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan basketball G LJ Cason reacts to big game against Minnesota
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