UNC basketball star freshman named to prestigious award's Midseason Watch List
UNC basketball star freshman named to prestigious award's Midseason Watch List
It's always difficult to see someone in your starting lineup go down with an injury, but for the UNC basketball team, Seth Trimble's injury paved the way for one of his freshman teammates to shine.
The Tar Heel freshman in question here is Ian Jackson, who is arguably his team's greatest offensive producer this college basketball season.
Jackson averages 14.4 points per game, second on North Carolina behind reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis (17.3). Despite Davis leading UNC in scoring, Jackson packs significantly more of a scoring punch, highlighted by an earlier stretch in which Jackson scored 20 points in four consecutive games.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Jackson finds himself in award consideration with just over a month left in the regular season.
On February 3, Jackson was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. This award is given annually – by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association – to its National Player of the Year.
Jackson finds himself on the list with Duke's Cooper Flagg, Auburn's Johni Broome, Tennessee's Chaz Lanier and Alabama's Mark Sears, all of whom are likely to continue their basketball careers in the NBA.
There's some debate surrounding Jackson's future, but he's proven good enough to make the NBA. A return to Chapel Hill is ideal for the Tar Heels' future, but they also have combo guards Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis coming in.
Jackson scored in double-digits during 14 of the 22 games he's appeared in for UNC this year, including a career-high 27 during a 74-73 win at Notre Dame. Though his hot streak is over, with single-digit points totals in four of his past five games, Jackson is still a top scoring option for North Carolina.
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