Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Conference tournament preview

By Matt Ostrowski

Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams questions a call by the officials in the second half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams questions a call by the officials in the second half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) and guard Demetrius Jackson (11) react in the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 89-75. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) and guard Demetrius Jackson (11) react in the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 89-75. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Notre Dame

Mystery player comparison time!

Player A: 16.5 points per game, 6.7 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 47.8 percent from the floor

Player B: 15.9 points per game, 5.0 assists, 2.0 turnovers, 45.5 percent from the floor.

Player A is Jerian Grant last season. Player B is Demetrius Jackson this season. Why is this important?

Well, for one, I told a few people before the season that Demetrius Jackson was a dark horse Player of the Year candidate. It hasn’t worked out quite like that, but on paper, the comparison wasn’t absurd.

Part of the reason Jackson isn’t getting quite as much national hype is that his team is much worse. They lost both Grant and Pat Connaughton from last year’s team, and have already lost 10 games this year, while they only lost six all of last year.

The other reason is that he still isn’t quite as good as Grant was. When I make this comparison, I’m not saying Jackson is as good as Grant. I’m simply saying it should be in the conversation.

Why is this relevant to Notre Dame’s chances in the ACC Tournament? Well, Jackson might be the third best guard in the conference, behind Malcolm Brogdon and Grayson Allen, and has the ability to put this team on his back.

They’re going to make the NCAA Tournament either way, but a few good wins this week could be the difference between a seven seed and a four or five seed come Sunday. And that’s a massive difference.

Notre Dame won’t play until Thursday of this week since they finished fourth in the ACC. They’ll play the winner of Duke and NC State or Wake Forest, which, assuming Duke wins, should give them at least one opportunity for a big win that they so desperately need. After that, when you have a guard like Jackson, anything is possible.

Next: Number four