UNC vs. Miami - Player of the Game: Justin Jackson

Pretty much nothing went right for North Carolina against Miami on Saturday. The Tar Heels shot 35%. They turned the ball over 14 times. Miami scored more points in the paint. Carolina even lost the rebounding battle. The one player that really kept this game even within semi shouting distance was Justin Jackson.

Jackson led the Tar Heels in scoring, going for 21 points. He went 7-16 from the field and made four three-pointers. His seven field goals accounted for a third of Carolina’s makes in the game. He did not have an impact in the rebounding department as he has at times in the past couple weeks, but was still the Tar Heels’ best player.

Only one other player, Nate Britt, finished in double digit points for North Carolina. Jackson was pretty much the only option on offense for the Tar Heels that even got going a little bit. It was another showcase of the consistently good player Jackson has been this season.

In ACC play, Jackson is averaging over 20 points. The game against Miami marks the 11th time he’s gone for at least 20 this season.

This was far from a good performance for North Carolina. Joel Berry did not hit a field goal, and finished with just two points. Kennedy Meeks went for just five. Almost no one else played well enough to allow North Carolina to win.

With everything else going wrong around him, Justin Jackson once again produced a solid game on offense. It wasn’t enough to win on Saturday, but if he keeps scoring like he has the past couple weeks, it will be.