‘A good defense will always win the game.’ And seems like North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis has understood the assignment. After the disappointing loss against the Louisville Cardinals, the Tar Heels are now sitting on three back-to-back wins. No one would deny that this team that has been recognized as a worthy ACC contender, has seen ups and downs this season. Hubert Davis has been pretty open about the vulnerabilities of his team this season. Let’s see what he had to say after the recent NC State victory.

“We just got to do a better job from a defensive standpoint,” said Davis in a post-game interview. The head coach is pleased with the offensive performance by the likes of Ian Jackson among others but he can’t seem to say the same about the defense. “They shot 60% from the field in the second half. Gave them 16 offensive rebounds. That’s just not sustainable. We can’t live on that,” added Davis.

Four out of the five last wins that the Tar Heels have made came with extremely narrow margins. If the defense gets to the same level of excellence as their offense, they can be looking at way better scoreboards for the schedule ahead. Not to mention the scoring pressure that the offensive players face compensating for the lack of a good defensive strategy.

As Davis mentions, such narrow wins can be concerning for a team that has recently seen three straight losses. NC State players managed to outscore the Tar Heels in both- steals and blocks. That goes to show that there is indeed a gap in the team’s defense that they need to fill soon. “The growth for us is to put two halves together defensively and rebounding,” added Davis about his team’s next focus.

Until Davis finds a way to fill the gaps left by the team’s defense, there is one guy that UNC fans are relying on and you guessed it right, it is Ian Jackson. Let’s look at the young Hooper and the legacy he is creating.

Hubert Davis’ star-scorer and his unstoppable freshman season

In all of UNC’s basketball seasons, Ian Jackson is the first and only freshman to score 23 or more points in 4 consecutive games. But his scoring abilities are just one aspect of how he can be essential to the UNC this season. Recently, Hubert Davis opened up about his maximum potential on-court after the win against SMU.

“I think he can be an elite defender. He can be an elite distributor. He has the ability in a one-on-one situation to create a shot any time he wants to, not only for himself but for his teammates,” said Davis on Jackson. Although Jackson has made more than 15 points in 7 out of his last 10 games, Davis expects him to contribute to more aspects of the game.

“He’s done a really nice job on the defensive boards, getting in the lane and helping us rebound the basketball,” said Davis to emphasize Jackson’s potential rebounding acumen. He is currently averaging 3.5 rebounds and it can help UNC if they can get more out of their 6′ 4″ guard, especially off of the glass.

Ian Jackson can be crucial in the challenging schedule that lies ahead for the UNC which includes facing the Dukes in early February. For now, we wait to see his performance as the UNC takes on California this Wednesday.