An upset loss at Northern Iowa on Saturday caused the UNC men’s basketball team to slip from first to ninth in the AP Top 25, but the Tar Heels recovered nicely on Monday—defeating the Northwestern Wildcats 80-69 in the semifinals of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic played in Kansas City.
UNC improves its record to 4-1 this season, while former Duke assistant coach Chris Collins saw his Wildcats lose their first game of the year—dropping to 3-1.
Leading the way for head coach Roy Williams was 6-foot-8 sophomore Justin Jackson, who poured in 21 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
Jackson—expected by many to have a breakout campaign–has now led the team in scoring for two straight games after struggling to show a killer instinct over the past couple weeks.
Justin Jackson (44) had a slow start to the season, but has played well as of late. (Todd Melet)
“I told you guys if [Jackson] was my biggest worry, what a great situation I was in,” Williams said after the game. “I do know a little bit about the game, and I was not concerned with Justin Jackson.
“But we’ve talked about the aggressiveness—a lot,” the coach added.
The sophomore was one of six UNC players to finish the game in double figures, as all five starters hit the mark–along with junior forward Isaiah Hicks off the bench.
Northwestern put up a fight throughout, and led by as many as six points in the first half—but the Tar Heels went on a 14-1 run before the break and never looked back, leading by as many as 20 during the second half.
All this despite the team making just 7-of-25 three-point attempts against Northwestern’s 2-3 zone, and getting only five points from sixth man Nate Britt.
“Needless to say, we haven’t shot the ball well the last two games—particularly from three,” Williams said. “Nate [Britt] was hot as he could possibly be early, and he’s really struggled the last two games.
“It’s the first time all season we’ve played against a zone the entire game,” he added. “Down the line I think that’ll really help us.”
Senior forward Brice Johnson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in five games, but the big story of the night was definitely Jackson stepping up into the role many expected him to take by the horns this season.
It’s these kind of performances Williams has been looking for while he allows star point guard Marcus Paige to recover from his broken hand.
“The bottom line is if we had to have [Paige], we could have played him last week,” Williams said. “But we don’t have to have him. We’re trying to be very cautious. If it had been an NCAA Tournament game, I’d have played him.
Joining the starters in double figures was junior forward Isaiah Hicks (4). (Todd Melet)
“But I said we’re gonna be very careful,” he continued before adding in a little joke. “I may not play him until February—probably will though.”
Northwestern received a big contribution from guard Tre Demps, who tallied 21 points and hit four shots from beyond the arc in the game. Guard play dominated the night for Coach Collins’ team–as Demps, Bryant McIntosh, and Scottie Lindsey combined for 46 of the Wildcats’ 69 points.
“Northwestern’s got some guys that can shoot the basketball,” Williams said. “Nine-for-20 from the three-point line is not what we want to give up, but you got to give them credit too. Chris [Collins] does a nice job, and they know their roles. And they played well.”
Up Next:
Now UNC will have to turn right around and get ready for another late night game without Paige on Tuesday, as they’ll face a tough Kansas State team—a squad that defeated Missouri 66-42 in the first semifinal game on Monday.
Game Notes:
- The Tar Heels made the most of their free throw opportunities–sinking 17-of-19 from the charity stripe.
- Sophomore wing Theo Pinson did a nice job distributing the ball–dishing out eight assists–but also turned it over four times.
- Six of Jackson’s 13 rebounds came on the offensive end.
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