Hubert Davis reacts to hard foul on Ian Jackson vs. SMU

There was a scary moment in the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and SMU Mustangs on Tuesday when freshman Ian Jackson was fouled hard while driving. That led to a lot of initial concern and an animated reaction from head coach Hubert Davis.

Following the game, Davis opened up about that hard foul and what made it such a scary moment for him and the Tar Heels.

“Just thinking about Ian,” Hubert Davis said. “It’s, SMU and all their players are fantastic kids and players, but just seeing Ian up in the air defenseless, and just making sure he was okay. And my reaction was my reaction that I have with my three kids, and just wanted to protect them and make sure that they’re okay.

Very fortunate that Ian Jackson’s left leg doesn’t “stick” here but rather “hops”. pic.twitter.com/EvuAKeIgTO

— Isaac Schade (@isaacschade) January 8, 2025

“And I’m thankful that Ian was able to pop back up and knock down those two free throws,” Davis concluded.

Certainly, this was a scary moment for Jackson. On the play, he was driving to the basket when he was contested by Samet Yigitoglu of SMU, who stands at seven feet two inches tall, towering over the six foot four inch tall Jackson. The collision took place in the air with Yigitoglu hitting Jackson in the head and neck area and then when Jackson landed it appeared awkward on his left leg.

Luckily, there weren’t any injuries on the play and, as Davis noted, Jackson was able to walk away and continue playing in the win for North Carolina.

Jackson has been a key player for North Carolina in his freshman season. He came to North Carolina as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the eighth-ranked player overall in that recruiting cycle. To this point, Jackson has lived up to that ranking, too. He’s playing in 25.3 minutes per game and averaging 15.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range.

In the win over SMU, Jackson finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. That put him second on the Tar Heels in scoring for the game, trailing only RJ Davis.

Now, Davis and Jackson are 10-6 overall and 3-1 in ACC play with momentum after winning two conference games in a row. With that, the Tar Heels turn their attention to a road trip to NC State for a January rivalry game.