Ian Jackson scored a career high 27 points and Elliot Cadeau completed a four-point play with 4.8 seconds left to help North Carolina defeat host Notre Dame 74-73 on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
North Carolina (9-6, 2-1 ACC) trailed by three points when Cadeau dribbled along the right wing, stepped back and made a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Notre Dame’s Matt Allocco. The sophomore guard added the free throw to give North Carolina the lead and end the day with 10 points.
Cadeau, who also had six assists, became the first Tar Heels player to complete a four-point play since 2021.
Markus Burton, who had a team-leading 23 points for Notre Dame (7-7, 1-2), had the chance to score the game-winning basket but his layup attempt bounced off the backboard as the buzzer sounded. Notre Dame also got 17 points from Tae Davis and 16 points from Braeden Shrewsberry.
Cadeau’s late-game heroics for the Tar Heels overshadowed a big day for Jackson, who was 11 of 18 from the floor and also had six assists.
Jackson became the first North Carolina freshman to score at least 20 points in four straight games since Tyler Hansbrough did it during the 2005-06 season. Jackson’s scoring total was also the most by a UNC freshman since Cole Anthony had 28 points against Wake Forest in 2020.
Jackson tied the game 66-66 with 3:22 remaining when he grabbed a defensive rebound off a miss by Allocco and took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup in traffic.
North Carolina led by as much as 12 points in the first half, but saw that lead evaporate in the second when Notre Dame took a 63-59 lead with 6:27 remaining.
The Tar Heels had 14 assists on 27 made baskets and turned 13 Notre Dame turnovers into 16 points. North Carolina shot 52.9 percent from the field for the game, their best shooting mark this season against a major conference opponent.
In addition to eight points, All-American guard RJ Davis had a season-high seven assists for UNC. He is now five assists away from 500 in his career.
–Field Level Media
