Ian Jackson named to the Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List

Ian Jackson of the UNC basketball program has been named to the Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List. This award, which is awarded annually to the National Player of the Year, has 50 players who were named to this watch list, all of whom are considered candidates for the award this season.

The USBWA has named a National Player of the Year for decades, dating back to the 1958-1959 season. In 1998, the award was named in honor of two-time USBWA Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson, as it is the nation's oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

Jackson has been a spark plug for the UNC basketball program in his first season on campus. After starting the season coming off the bench, Jackson made it impossible for Hubert Davis not to insert him into the starting lineup, as his ability to score the basketball has been on display on various occasions.

Through the first 22 games of his college career, Jackson is averaging 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per-game. He's shooting the basketball very efficiently, knocking down 48.3% of his attempts while knocking down 37.6% of his shots from beyond the arc.

While the 2024-2025 season hasn't gone as planned for the UNC basketball program, Ian Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for this year's squad.

Here is the complete midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy:

•   Jaden Akins, Michigan State

•   Ace Bailey, Rutgers

•   Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State

•   Nate Bittle, Oregon

•   Johni Broome, Auburn

•   Lamont Butler, Kentucky

•   Walter Clayton Jr., Florida

•   Donovan Dent, New Mexico

•   Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

•   Eric Dixon, Villanova

•   Cooper Flagg, Duke

•   Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State

•   Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland 

•   PJ Haggerty, Memphis

•   Dylan Harper, Rutgers

•   Chucky Hepburn, Louisville

•   Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State

•   Chase Hunter, Clemson

•   Graham Ike, Gonzaga

•   , North Carolina

•   Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois

•   Curtis Jones, Iowa State

•   Kam Jones, Marquette

•   Alex Karaban, UConn

•   Trey Kauffman-Renn, Purdue

•   Kon Knueppel, Duke

•   Chaz Lanier, Tennessee

•   Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB

•   Caleb Love, Arizona

•   RJ Luis, St. John's

•   Nick Martinelli, Northwestern

•   Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple

•   Trent McLaughlin, Northern Arizona

•   Jacksen Moni, North Dakota State

•   Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina

•   Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga

•   Asa Newell, Georgia

•   Norchad Omier, Baylor

•   Otega Oweh, Kentucky

•   Zhuric Phelps, Texas A&M

•   Maxime Raynuad, Stanford

•   Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest

•   Mark Sears, Alabama

•   Emanuel Sharp, Houston

•   Javon Small, West Virginia

•   Braden Smith, Purdue

•   John Tonje, Wisconsin

•   Darrion Williams, Texas Tech

•   Danny Wolf, Michigan

•   Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee