What Elliot Cadeau views as a ‘challenge’ ahead of UNC basketball’s game vs Alabama

[ad_1]

LOS ANGELES — It was one of the main questions after UNC basketball’s March Madness win against Michigan State in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

How will the Tar Heels deal with Alabama if the Crimson Tide’s defenders sag off of Elliot Cadeau and dare the freshman point guard to shoot jumpers?

The Spartans made it a point to give Cadeau space, daring him to throw up long shots rather than pressuring and allowing him to knife through the lane as a playmaker.

Now, as the top-seeded Tar Heels (29-7) prepare for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (23-11), Cadeau could face a similar situation Thursday (9:39 p.m. ET, CBS) at Crypto.com Arena.

“I view it kind of as,” Cadeau said Wednesday in UNC’s locker room before pausing for a few seconds, “it just catches me off guard a little bit, cause I never got played like that in my life.

“I just view it as a challenge. They want me to prove to them that I can shoot it. That’s just what I gotta do.”

VIDEO: UNC basketball’s Jae’Lyn Withers, Tar Heels preview Alabama

UNC-BAMA PREDICTION: UNC basketball vs Alabama prediction: March Madness, NCAA Sweet 16 pick is in

MARCH MADNESS PREDICTIONS: UNC basketball Sweet 16 bracket predictions: Our pick to reach March Madness’ Final Four

Through 36 games, including 30 as a starter, Cadeau is averaging 7.3 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 turnovers per game.

UNC is 7-0 when Cadeau reaches double figures, but the 19-year-old guard has missed 40 of his 48 attempts from 3-point range. He’s missed his last 12 shots from beyond the arc.

Despite his shooting struggles, Cadeau hasn’t lost the confidence of head coach Hubert Davis.

“I want him to be confident to knock down his shots. … One of the things that I have told him, ‘When teams play you that way, I want you to treat that as a compliment. It really is. What they’re saying is your ability to get to the basket, to score, to create, to get fouls just disrupts us as a team so much, we’re just trying to keep you out of the lane,’” Davis said…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/elliot-cadeau-views-challenge-ahead-013314343.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2024-03-28 01:33:14

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.