March Madness: 5 keys to a UNC victory over Notre Dame
Marcus Paige vs Demetrius Jackson
Marcus Paige has spent a great deal of the season listening to questions about his shooting slump and how it’s affected his confidence. On Friday night, he answered some of those questions.
Over the past couple weeks Paige has looked much better on the court, but nobody could have anticipated how he would play against fifth-seeded Indiana. Hitting the first four of his shots, all from three-point range, before the first media timeout was just the beginning. He’d go on to score 21 points, hitting six of nine shots from behind the arc, and dish out six assists with no turnovers.
He was phenomenal to say the least. In a game in which the Tar Heels dominated from beginning to end, Paige was the catalyst.
On Sunday night, he’ll face a familiar foe in Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson.
Jackson sparked his team’s victory in the Sweet 16 on Friday night scoring six of the final eight points for the Irish. Down 56-53 late in the second half, Jackson ignited the Irish offense with two layups, two made free throws and a pair of steals to close out the game on an 8-0 run.
This back court matchup will be one to keep an eye on throughout the course of the game. If Paige plays the way he did against Indiana, it’ll be difficult for Notre Dame to keep pace with the top-seeded Tar Heels. On the other hand, it’ll take sound defense on the part of Paige to keep Jackson in check.