Justin Jackson's 21 points lead top-seeded UNC past Texas Southern 103-64

Mar 17, 2017, 06:39 pm

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Justin Jackson broke out of a shooting slump with 21 points to help top-seeded North Carolina roll past Texas Southern 103-64 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's South Region.

The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year had made just 20 of 60 shots (33 percent) and 7 of 31 3-pointers (23 percent) in his last four games. But he had 19 points by halftime in this one, helping the Tar Heels (28-7) quickly eliminate any chance of an unprecedented upset.

Jackson, a 6-foot-8 junior, finished 8 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range with seven rebounds.

Isaiah Hicks added 17 points and Kennedy Meeks had 13 for the Tar Heels, who are a No. 1 regional seed for an NCAA-record 16th time.

Kevin Scott scored 19 points to lead the 16th-seeded Tigers (23-12), the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

SWAC player of the year Zach Lofton struggled, finishing with nine points on 2-for-11 shooting.

The Tar Heels lost the chance to open in their home state when the NCAA yanked games from Greensboro due to that state's passage of a law limiting protections for LGBT people.

The games moved to South Carolina -- the state's first chance to host since 2002 -- after it removed the Confederate flag from state capitol grounds in 2015.

The Tar Heels will face eighth-seeded Arkansas -- which beat Seton Hall 77-71 -- in Sunday's second round.