Where is L.J. Cason? How ACL injury impacted Michigan star’s availability in March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Michigan Wolverines have made it all the way to the 2026 Final Four as a No. 1 seed, and they did so without guard L.J. Cason.
He played in 28 games during the regular season, but in late February, he suffered a knee injury against Illinois. Cason suffered the injury in the first half of Michigan’s game against Illinois. Fans were hopeful that it wasn’t a bad injury because he was able to return briefly in the second half. Cason ended up leaving the game and was ruled out for the season with his injury.
Here is more on why Carson hasn’t been playing for Michigan.
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Where is L.J. Cason?
Cason has been sidelined since late February with a torn ACL. He sustained the injury in the first half of the game against Illinois. Cason has not played since and, despite returning briefly in the second half, was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
What happened to L.J. Cason?
Cason suffered a torn ACL in the first half against Illinois on February 27. He was chasing down a ball and then was even able to deliver a between-the-legs bounce pass before he landed awkwardly. Cason got up and couldn’t put much weight on his knee. He was checked out by trainers and, after getting some work on his knee, actually returned briefly in the second half. After he checked out, he did not return for the remainder of the season.
Despite being out for the season, Cason was able to join his teammates in cutting down the regional nets after winning the Elite Eight.
Really cool moment for LJ Cason, who suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this season but was as important as anyone in this run to the NCAA Tournament pic.twitter.com/jiBpoauoYk
— James Madden (@Jmadden1632) March 29, 2026
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L.J. Cason ACL recovery timeline
Cason said that his surgery was scheduled for April 9, and he noted it was “after we win a national championship.” After the surgery, he will have to use crutches for at least a week, per Emory Health Care. All told, the recovery period is expected to be six months before he can return to the basketball court. He will likely have to ramp up slowly to get game-ready. With Cason’s injury occurring in February, he should be ready to resume basketball activity by late August or early September.
This would put Cason on track to be ready by the start of the 2026-2027 college basketball season, barring setbacks.
L.J. Cason stats
Here is a look at Cason’s per-game stats from his two years at Michigan.
| Season | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| 2024-25 | 30 | 11.8 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 36.8% | 24.6% | 81.6% |
| 2025-26 | 28 | 18.6 | 8.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 50.3% | 40.2% | 70.9% |
| Total | 58 | 15.1 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 44.7% | 33.6% | 75.3% |
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