North Carolina was able to steal a win on the road Saturday afternoon against Notre Dame, pulling out a thrilling 74-73 lead late thanks to Elliot Cadeau’s heroics.
It was a back-and-forth game throughout as the two teams battled in the second half. But one player for North Carolina continued to stand out and is becoming a star in front of our eyes.
For the fourth-straight game, freshman Ian Jackson reached the 20-point mark finishing the game with 27 points, a new career-high. He became the first UNC freshman to score 20-plus points in four-straight games since Tyler Hasbrough did it in the 2005-06 season.
Ian Jackson’s last four games:
27 PTS | 6 REB | 2 3PM
23 PTS | 4 REB | 2 3PM
26 PTS | 5 REB | 3 3PM
24 PTS | 4 REB | 3 3PMOnly a freshman 👀 pic.twitter.com/1Gb5ng0Rtu
— Overtime (@overtime) January 4, 2025
Jackson has really impressed this season as a freshman, making the most of his opportunity to start with Seth Trimble dealing with an injury. He’s elevated his game and has forced Hubert Davis to give him more minutes, which is a good thing for the Tar Heels.
More importantly, Jackson is scoring from all levels of the floor, showcasing his versatility.
The Tar Heels have something in the talented freshman and the hope is that other things start to get turned around as well and potentially the season could be saved from this slow start.
Jackson will look to make it five straight games with 20-plus points when UNC hosts SMU in the Dean Dome on Wednesday night.
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