Former UNC player bringing rivalry mentality vs. Duke
· Yahoo Sports
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.
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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. They are coached the same and they play the same way.
"I think that name on the jersey, they have the same kind of game," he said. "They play hard, they understand, they are coached well."
St. Johns' fans won't be the only ones cheering for the Red Storm and Jackson on Friday night. They will have the backing of UNC fans, similar to when Caleb Love paid homage to the Tar Heels before playing Duke a few years ago with Arizona.
Let's hope Jackson can get a win over Duke.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Ian Jackson bringing rivalry mentality to game vs Duke