RTC will be providing coverage of the NCAA Tournament from start to finish. Brad Jenkins (@bradjenk) is in Greenville this weekend.
Justin Jackson busted out of his recent shooting slump with a huge first half.
(newsobserver.com)
Three Key Takeaways.
- There was never a possibility of a historical upset today in Greenville. Thursday top seeds Villanova and Gonzaga let their #16 opponents hang around for a full half before pulling away, but #1 North Carolina cruised to a 25-point halftime lead today and rolled from there. The Tar Heels played to their size advantage in dispatching the Tigers, piling up a huge advantage on the boards (+27) and in points in the paint (+24). As expected, North Carolina was particularly effective on the offensive glass, turning 20 offensive boards into 29 second chance points.
- Texas Southern was not equipped to pull off a March upset. Not only did North Carolina hold a significant edge in size and talent, it was not facing the kind of team that we typically see spring the big NCAA First Round surprise. Usually that kind of underdog is a dangerous three-point shooting squad that gets hot in a timely way from deep. The only thing dangerous about the Tigers’ outside shooting, however, was the potential harm it could do to the rim. Texas Southern shoots below 30 percent from deep on the year and only connected on 7-of-27 from distance today.
- Justin Jackson has found his shooting touch again. Coming into the NCAA Tournament, Justin Jackson was mired in a recent shooting slump. In his last four outings, the ACC Player of the Year was a combined 20-of-60 from the floor for a chilly 33 percent. Jackson turned that situation around fast, nailing 5-of-6 from three-point land in the first half alone. Of course, he was not up against a stout defense today and most of his attempts were wide open looks — still, Roy Williams has to feel better about his star forward’s confidence level going forward.
Player of the Game. Justin Jackson, North Carolina. In addition to his first half outburst, Jackson had a fine all-around game. He finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and also chipped in with seven rebounds and three assists.
Quotable.
- “We felt like we had an advantage inside. We were effective getting the ball inside” – North Carolina coach Roy Williams, talking about today’s game plan.
- “He’s had a great year. We told him all he had to be was Justin.” – Williams, on pregame discussions with Justin Jackson.
- “North Carolina is just at a totally different level than we are.” – Texas Southern coach Mike Davis, on what his team was up against today.
- “Those games were in November. This one was in March, so they came out with more intensity.” – Texas Southern’s Marvin Jones, when asked what was different about playing North Carolina today compared to some of the other good teams the Tigers have faced.
Sights and Sounds. North Carolina showed up in Greenville sporting some dapper new headgear, courtesy of freshman walk-on Shea Rush.
What’s Next. North Carolina advances to the Second Round on Sunday where it will face #8 Arkansas.