GREENVILLE, SC – So much for Justin Jackson’s slump.
It’s gone. Gonzo. Sayonara. Adios. Arrivederci.
And it was a welcomed sight for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
“Yeah, it was,” Nate Britt said. “I think he’s close to making some history, so want to make sure he gets that as well. It felt good that he knocked down shots and we just wanted to keep feeding him and let him keep knocking it down.”
Jackson entered Friday’s 103-64 rout of Texas Southern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a four-game slump that saw him convert 20 of 60 shots from the floor, including 7-31 from 3-point range. This from someone who was recently named ACC Player of the Year and spent all season shooting in the 40-percent range from the perimeter.
But it wasn’t just his outside shots that weren’t falling, he wasn’t getting the rolls on his patented floaters in the lane. In a sense, nothing was falling.
UNC Coach Roy Williams pulled Jackson into his office earlier in the week and had a short chat. It hit home, as simple as it was.
“Coach mentioned it to me when I went to his office, just be me,” he said. “People are going to say other people should have gotten the award, (but) I earned it. And so, at the end of the day I’ve got to play like the player that I was to earn that award instead of trying to show people why I got it.”
And Jackson being himself is playing freely on the court and off the court listening to his music, reading what he reads and not straying from that. Not the guy that was trying to live up to being the ACC Player of the Year.
“The Virginia game, London (Parrantes) played great defense, Duke I just didn’t really hit shots,” Jackson said. “And then going into the tournament, it was after all of those awards had come out and I think I put more pressure on myself to try to live up to those instead of being myself.”
The NCAA Tournament can be a new lease on life for teams, – everyone is 0-0 – and players. For Jackson, his chat with Williams and being himself again led him to Friday’s eruption.
Hence, 21 points including 5-8 from 3-point range.
“Just to see him get going again was good for him,” Theo Pinson said. “I’m very happy that he got it going again tonight, that’s dangerous for the rest of the tournament.”
And after Jackson’s first 3-point attempt Friday, it appeared he was headed for another subpar game. He missed badly, but a few minutes later converted a jumper and then a 3-pointer to make it 16-10. In fact, Jackson made seven consecutive shots, including five 3-pointers and totaled 19 points by halftime.
UNC’s record for made 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game is 6 by Marcus Paige and Shammond Williams. And with that, Jackson is back.
“The last few games have been a rough patch for him,” Kennedy Meeks said. “But I think he’s finally back to where he needs to be.”
Jackson finished 8-13 from the floor overall with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He now has 95 3-pointers on the season, which ties Williams for the single-season mark at UNC. His 21 points is the most he’s scored in nine previous NCAA Tournament games.
