Need more from Ian Jackson
With Jalen Washington out, everybody was going to have to chip in just a little bit extra to steal a win at Pitt. Ian Jackson, UNC's best chance at getting a player drafted in this summer's NBA Draft, didn't do enough.
After a purple patch, the freshman is starting to slow down his scoring pace. Against Pitt, he contributed just nine points on 4/10 shooting (1/3 from three). He is currently the team's best three-point shooter at 38.3%, but didn't take those shots when they were on offer.
Granted, Pitt was blocking shots, particularly Zack Austin, who played like an absolute maniac. He had five blocks, including jumpers and a nasty one on a Seth Trimble fadeaway as the shot clock was about to expire.
The game had its last dying breath when Jackson had his Euro-step lay-up blocked by Austin from the weakside. The Tar Heels were down by two at that point and never got closer.
Anybody can get blocked by Zack Austin. But if you have aspirations of playing in the NBA, you need to bring more than nine points against a Pitt team of this quality. Jackson has the talent and skill level to find or make space to get his jumper and arsenal of lay-ups off. He needs to be a protagonist on this team, since it lacks a true post threat.