Former UNC player bringing rivalry mentality vs. Duke
Ian Jackson faced Duke three times last season while at UNC. He gets one more shot at them here in the NCAA Tournament.
While the North Carolina Tar Heels are in the middle of a coaching search, two former players are looking to punch their tickets to the Elite 8 and then Final Four this weekend. One of those players is former five-star recruit Ian Jackson, who spent last season at North Carolina. He then entered the transfer portal and ended up at St.
Johns. The Red Storm have been fantastic down the stretch and were able to get out of the first weekend. Now, they are set to face off against Duke on Friday night with a trip to the Elite 8 on the line.
For Jackson, it's a familiar foe as he faced the Blue Devils three times last season, losing all three games. While St. Johns and Duke are not a rivalry, Jackson says he's bringing that rivalry mentality to the game.
"Yeah, a little bit," Jackson said when asked if he will have the rivalary mentality for the game. "I lost to them three times last year; that rivalry and that dislike from them beating us is still there. " Jackson also noted that while it's a new team this year, it's still Duke.