UNC Basketball: Walker Kessler earns ACC honor

If it wasn’t for Walker Kessler’s 20-point performance on Saturday, the UNC Basketball program would find themselves riding a two-game losing streak into Monday’s game at Syracuse. But instead, the Tar Heels earned a big Quad 1 win and are feeling better about their tournament chances. 

Kessler had a career-day against the Seminoles, helping UNC erase a 12-point halftime lead to earn the big win on Saturday. Now, he’s earned an Atlantic Coast Conference honor for that big game on Saturday.

The freshman was named the ACC’s Freshman of the Week along with Louisville forward Jae’Lyn Withers, the conference announced on Monday. It’s Kessler’s first ACC Freshman of the Week honor and he’s the fifth UNC player to win the award this year, which is the first time it’s happened in conference history.

Kessler averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds last week in the loss to Marquette and win over Florida State. On Wednesday, he tied his career high of 10 points against Marquette and then set a new high with 20 points against the Seminoles. After a slow start to the season in which Kessler struggled to find playing time with Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe in front of him in the rotation, he’s found a way to get more involved and make a difference. That gives Roy Williams another legit option in the post for opposing teams to have to defend.

The former five-star recruit picked the Tar Heels over programs like Duke, Michigan, Auburn and Gonzaga.

UNC hopes Kessler can continue his hot play here in the final week of the regular season as they travel to take on Syracuse then host Duke on Saturday night before the ACC Tournament next week.

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