Luke DeCock: Elliot Cadeau's 4-point play gives UNC a desperately needed win, narrow as it was

Luke DeCock, The News & Observer on Jan 4, 2025

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Even while still basking in the good feelings — joy, satisfaction, relief — Saturday afternoon immediately after a win that was as triumphant as it was larcenous, Elliot Cadeau couldn’t help recalling the abuse he took after missing what could have been a game-tying 3-pointer at Kansas.

Such tribulations die hard, and can’t always be forgotten, but they can be overwritten.

From almost the same spot on the court, with North Carolina once again down three points on the road, the ball found itself in Cadeau’s hands again, almost two months later. Not only did he make the shot this time, he was fouled.

It took that 4-point play from Cadeau with 4.8 seconds to play and a missed layup by Notre Dame star Markus Burton to escape with a 74-73 win that saw North Carolina go from comfortably up 12 to perilously down three in the final seconds.

“I took that shot before at Kansas and people were really saying a lot of things to me, a lot of bad things,” Cadeau said. “Just because I missed. This will definitely help with my confidence, for sure.”

All the close games the Tar Heels have been in this season, they might finally have learned something — and without needing a furious second-half comeback. The open lane for Burton on the final, end-to-end play aside, they did what they had to do at the end to get a win in a game that saw a season-high 17 lead changes.

“It’s a game we needed, just from a positive standpoint,” R.J. Davis said. “Things have been a little bit down because things haven’t gone our way. We’ve been in close games and haven’t done a good job of closing them. To have this win under our belt, it feels good for us. We can build off this.”

Cadeau’s final free throw moved him into double figures; until that point, Ian Jackson had stood alone in that department, his career-high 27 marking his fourth straight game with 20 or more points, something no UNC freshman had done since Tyler Hansbrough. Jackson even did Hansbrough one better, scoring 23 or more in all four.

And with Notre Dame blitzing Davis and forcing the ball out of his hands, even and especially on the final play — “Use my gravity,” Davis said, “because I’m pulling guys with me” — it was going to fall to someone else to take what was presumably the game-tying shot when Notre Dame chose not to foul up three. The Irish denied Davis and swarmed Jackson, the latter passing to Cadeau on the right wing.

Cadeau cut to his right, stepped back to shake Matt Allocco, and pulled the trigger. The foul, when Allocco caught him with the lower body as Cadeau landed, surprised everyone — including North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, who was about to call a timeout to set up his defense.

“I can point to everybody that made impact plays out there to help us win, whether it’s offensively or defensively,” Davis said. “And that’s ultimately what has to happen. You have to have guys step up. Elliot stepped up late. (Jae’Lyn Withers) hit a 3. Drake (Powell) was struggling from 3, and he knocked down a 3.

“I’m just really proud of this group. Going through tough times, and you have a disappointing game on Wednesday, and get back on the road playing at noon, and you just want something good to happen.”

There was more than positive reinforcement in this one for the Tar Heels. It is a little jarring to see North Carolina in what amounts to a must-win at Notre Dame in the first weekend of January. The Tar Heels’ nonconference wins should be enough to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, but they have left themselves absolutely no margin for error.

The bubble, not a destination where UNC has historically spent a lot of its time, is especially unforgiving this season given the ACC’s historic weakness. Wednesday’s loss at Louisville may not be disqualifying, but a loss at Notre Dame would have approached catastrophic.

And that’s just the way it’s going to be for North Carolina for a while, especially with Seth Trimble still out, barring the kind of winning streak that removes all doubt: Every game a 40-minute referendum on the season.

The Irish, still buzzing from Thursday’s CFP win, were playing in front of their largest home crowd — and first sellout — of the season, although a healthy chunk of that audience was wearing Carolina blue. And on CBS to boot.

Whatever Notre Dame’s best is, it would have been fair to expect it, especially with Burton returning after missing seven games. The Irish brought it in the second half, breaking down the North Carolina defense one-on-one, chipping away at the UNC lead before pulling ahead late — and with every chance to win it even after Cadeau’s quadruple.

Burton, who finished with 23 points, has made less difficult shots in his career; the Tar Heels have had few wins as satisfying in this season, narrow as it was.