3 Michigan Players Who Will Need to Step Up Following LJ Cason's Season-Ending Injury

Guard L.J. Cason sustained a season-ending injury during Michigan's win over Illinois on Friday night. Cason appeared to injury his leg in the first half and exited the game. However, he later returned in the second half and went down once again. He got up hobbling on his leg and never returned to the game.

On Saturday, Michigan announced Cason sustained a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The sophomore was one of the top backup point guards in the country and the Wolverines relied on him when Elliot Cadeau needed a breather.

With two regular season games left, here are three Wolverines who need to step up for the Big Ten Tournament, and most importantly, March Madness.

Elliot Cadeau

The starting point guard needs to step up? Kind of. Cadeau sees over 25 minutes of game action on average, and that number could increase without a proven backup point guard on the roster.

If that happens, Cadeau could be susceptible to more fouls and that's the last thing Michigan needs. He only averages a little over two fouls per game, which isn't a ton, but the Wolverines won't need him to get into foul issues during the tournament.

Cadeau will need to stay assertive but remindful of the importance of his ability to stay on the court. Continuing to feed his teammates and running the show will be very important for Michigan down the stretch.

Trey McKenney

Now, let's get into which players could spell Cadeau. McKenney makes the most sense when Cadeau needs a breather. McKenney and Cason were a great one-two punch off the bench, but now McKenney's role will likely change.

McKenney is not a point guard, but his load should increase. It's going to be a joint effort for Michigan when Cadeau isn't on the court, and McKenney is a good enough ball handler that he could attempt to run the show.

He averages under one assist a game, but he hasn't been asked to run an offense. He's a great athlete who can generate his own shot. Either way, McKenney is going to be tasked with more minutes and it will be interesting to see if May has him filling in for Cason.

Roddy Gayle

Gayle's kind of a jack of all trades for Michigan off the bench. His minutes are down this season with the emergence of both Cason and McKenney, but he's going to need to get back to playing more with Cason's injury.

Gayle is a player who will do whatever the team needs from him and if May wants to see him with the ball in his hands more, then he will. Again, there aren't too many options off the bench now that the primary backup is out.

He has averaged over three assists per game in a season, and Gayle is a veteran who knows where his teammates are going to be. It wouldn't be shocking to see both Gayle and McKenney have a dual effort in relieving Cadeau when he needs to sit.