DAYTON, OH – Tuesday night just may have been the best game Elliot Cadeau has played in a North Carolina uniform.

He was completely in charge on the floor steering the Tar Heels popping offense and setting the tone for their lock-down defense.

That’s right, Cadeau and lock-down defense in the same sentence, and as Hubert Davis would say, it was real.

“I think he set the tone,” RJ Davis said about Cadeau following UNC’s 95-68 rout of San Diego State in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament at UD Arena. “As a point guard, you’re the head of the snake. I think he did a good job of setting the tone whether he drove by a guy and was able to knock down a three, and next thing you know, he’s dishing out dimes.

“For him to control the tempo of the game, that’s what we need from him and that just comes with experience. It’s his second time playing in the NCAA Tournament so he’s more mature and more confident.”

Cadeau got the Heels going early scoring 5 quick points while handing out a pair of assists. Carolina weathered an early flurry of its own turnovers – four in the first 3:20 of the game. But he settled down the team and they hit fire.

A 20-2 run in which UNC’s offensive attacking and efficiency was as responsible as its in-their-jock defense with Cadeau leading the way on both ends.

The run turned a 13-11 game into a 33-13 one, and the game was pretty much over at that point. Carolina was quicker than the Aztecs probably expected, and it was much more clamped-down on defense than anyone expected.

Cadeau (9.5 points, 6.2 assists per game) with the ball and Cadeau on the ball was the flint that sparked the Heels.

“Yeah, definitely. This is one of the highest levels that I’ve been at,” he replied, when asked if that was the most in control of a game he’s had in college. “And I feel like I’ll continue to do that and I feel like my teammates are on a really high level too. It was making me look good.”

It wasn’t just Tuesday night, however. Cadeau’s game has quietly trended the right way of late. He finished with 12 assists and just two turnovers on the night.

In four postseason games over the last week, Cadeau has handed out 30 assists while turning over the ball just seven times. He has also converted at least one 3-pointer in four of the contests, shooting 5-for-6 overall.

“I think Elliot is our engine,” Jae’Lyn Withers said. “Whenever he’s composed and making great plays on the ball and playing hard on defense, I definitely think that gives us [a] boost. You can say each player on the team gives us a boost in some sort of area.

“I definitely think with him distributing and playing aggressive, playing his game first, [it] allows him to be able to make the plays that he’s capable of making.”

Cadeau’s 12 assists Tuesday night equaled the second most in an NCAA Tournament game by a Tar Heel. Interestingly, one of the other Heels to do this was RJ Davis in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament against Marquette. So, UNC has the distinction of having both of its starting guards having dished out 12 assists in an NCAA Tournament game.

In addition, it was the sixth time this season Cadeau has handed out at least 10 assists and the Heels have won five of those games. He’s done it twice now in the last four contests. Clearly, when he’s distributing and flummoxing defenses, the Tar Heels play at another level.

“The game has been slowing down for me for the last couple of games,” he said. “I’m just finding my teammates more.”

He certainly is, and when Cadeau is dishing, darting, and dashing, Carolina is almost always winning.