The Cautionary Tale Of Elliot Cadeau

“They said I couldn’t do it,” Final Four Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau said on social media after winning the National Championship. Who’s the “they? ” His former team, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Cadeau, with the help of his teammates, also used some more colorful language to describe North Carolina. He’s not the only former Tar Heel to bear ill-will towards his former program , nor the only one to blossom after leavin g Chapel Hill. And while Cadeau now has a championship ring, his former coach is out of a job.

The purpose of this accounting is not simply to allow Duke fans some schadenfreude after a heartbreaking end to the 2026 season (although it’s certainly a nice bonus). Instead, it’s intended as a cautionary tale before the onset of the annual “ silly season” of roster building. North Carolina certainly isn’t the only top-tier program to fall victim to pining after shiny new toys in the transfer portal.

While there are already more than 1000 players in the transfer portal , more will surely join after their team seemingly “recruits over” them. One could even argue Michigan did this with Cadeau, leading last year’s point guard Tre Donaldson to leave for Miami. But for every success story like the Wolverines, there’s unending “what if” questions for fan base at the opposite end of the equation.