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Elliot Cadeau’s clutch 3-pointer didn’t just validate his offseason work, it may also have saved UNC’s season
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It wasn’t exactly a shot heard ‘round the world.
Or even the ACC.
And it’s still way too soon to know whether or not it saved North Carolina’s season.
But it’s safe to say that without Elliot Cadeau’s clutch 3-point jumper and ensuing free throw with 4 seconds to go at Notre Dame on Saturday, the Tar Heels would be in a much more precarious position than they already are in relation to the NCAA Tournament bubble.
UNC was down 3 and starting a second straight ACC road loss squarely in the eye when Cadeau received a pass from RJ Davis, dribbled twice toward the right corner and knocked down the shot as he was knocked to the floor by the Irish’s Matt Allocco.
He then converted the 4-point play to help his team escape with a 74-73 victory.
It’s not as if a loss in a Quad 2 game on the road would have been a disaster, especially since starting wing Seth Trimble was out of the lineup for the third straight game, just as the win won’t do much to boost the Tar Heels’ resume.
Cadeau’s heroics did, however, save UNC from falling to just 1 game over .500 and below the break-even mark in league play with the most difficult part of the ACC schedule still to come. They also helped keep the heat from being turned up even higher underneath coach Hubert Davis.
In the process, his game-winning pay also validated the buzz that surrounded Cadeau coming into the season. That he worked exhaustively during the offseason to improve both his shooting touch and his confidence in taking big shots in big situations.
The fact that the ball was even in his hands with the game on the line speaks to both his growth and the fact that he still hasn’t completely outgrown his reputation as a shooter who can’t shoot straight.
This wasn’t the same situation as a year ago, when in UNC’s Sweet 16 loss to Alabama, the Crimson Tide showed such little respect for Cadeau’s shooting ability that they left him open, daring him to shoot. After missing 3 straight from beyond the arc and letting it affect other areas of his game, he was benched by Hubert Davis for the final 15½ minutes.
This wasn’t like that.
Cadeau, who finished with 10 points, 6 assists and only 1 turnover in 32 minutes, became his team’s best option because Notre Dame was more concerned with stopping RJ Davis, who moved past former teammate Armando Bacot into second place on UNC’s all-time scoring list in the game, and freshman Ian Jackson, who finished with 27 points..
“They knew RJ was trying to come get the ball for 3. I feel like everyone in the gym knew that,” Cadeau told Tar Heel Illustrated after the game. “They knew Ian wanted a good look, because he’s been shooting the lights out. So I felt like I was the only person with an open look.”
Unlike the Alabama game, he didn’t wilt under the pressure. And unlike a loss at Kansas earlier this season, when he found himself in a similarly decisive situation, he didn’t miss.
When Hubert Davis predicted at UNC’s preseason media day that “you won’t recognize Elliot Cadeau this year,” this is what he was talking about.
“At the end of the day, it’s about players stepping up and making plays,” the Tar Heels coach said Saturday. “Elliot did that at the end.”
Cadeau’s numbers still aren’t where either he or Davis want them to be. And he still has room to grow. Even after going 2-for-3 against the Irish, he’s shooting only 23.7% (9-for-38) from beyond the 3-point arc.
That’s still significantly better than his 18.9% accuracy as a freshman. His 9 treys are only one fewer than he had all last season.
His latest was by far the most important of his career.
So far.
His game-winner on Saturday may not have saved the Tar Heels’ season. But it at least put themselves in a position to play their way out of their early season funk and back into NCAA Tournament contention.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
