Hubert Davis details how Elliot Cadeau impacted UNC, NC State game

No. 9 North Carolina remains firmly atop the ACC standings following their 79-70 win over NC State at home on Saturday. Recording their 23rd win of the year and their 15th in conference play with two games remaining in the regular season.

Four of the Tar Heels’ five starters scored in double figures versus the Wolfpack, but NC State head coach Kevin Keatts believed that freshman guard Elliot Cadeau was the biggest difference maker in Saturday’s game for North Carolina.

Following the win, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis spoke about Cadeau’s impact after he was able to stuff the stat sheet versus NC State.

“I feel like he was very impactful,” Davis said. “Elliot from an offensive standpoint, just his ability whether it’s one-on-one or ball screen action to be able to get into the lane and be able to make plays. He’s strong and he can penetrate through contact, he can score, he can find guys, distribute, he was finding guys from three, cutting to the basket.”

Cadeau has been a staple in the Tar Heels’ starting lineup since being added to the starting rotation in the sixth game of the season. Leading the team in assists with 4.2 per game while being the only freshman in North Carolina’s veteran starting lineup.

Versus the Wolfpack, he led all players with seven assists, adding four rebounds, a steal, and 15 points to his stat line to represent his seventh game scoring in double figures this season.

“And so his ability to be able to get into the paint really opened up a lot of things for us and he played well at NC State,” Davis explained. “That’s back-to-back games playing against State that Elliot has played really well and I was really proud of him.”

Cadeau scored 11 points and distributed six assists the last time he faced the Wolfpack, shooting an impressive and efficient 60.7% from the field versus NC State in his freshman year.

He’s certainly impressed in his first season with the Tar Heels after being a five-star high school prospect out of Link Year Prep, ranked the No. 13 player overall player and the No. 2 point guard in the nation for the 2023 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. And it will be fascinating to see how he can continue contributing for North Carolina in the postseason this year in his first collegiate season.