Ian Jackson talks about his homecoming game during UNC’s upset win over UCLA

The North Carolina Tar Heels still have plenty of basketball season left, but they went a long way towards easing doubts about their season on Saturday.

UNC upset the 18th-ranked UCLA Bruins, 76-74, in a game where it trailed by double-digits during the second half. Saturday was North Carolina’s first ranked victory (Dayton was unranked in the Maui Invitational), which will go a long way towards deciding its NCAA Tournament fate come March.

Star freshman Ian Jackson, who came into Chapel Hill a 5-star McDonalds All-American, led the Tar Heels with 24 points.

What you may not know about Saturday’s game, though, is that Jackson’s breakout came in his hometown. Jackson grew up in The Bronx, a northern borough of New York City – and played his high school ball there.

As you can imagine, Jackson was excited about playing in his hometown. Check out what he said after North Carolina’s upset victory:

“The energy here was electric,” Jackson told InsideCarolina’s Jeremiah Holloway. “It felt like a home game, definitely. It was a tough place that I’ve never played before… It was always a place that I feel like I want to play. Anywhere in New York, Barclays, here. Just one of those places where, as a kid growing up watching basketball, you just want to be a part of how much is going on in this building.”

Jackson was definitely a big part of what occurred on Saturday inside Madison Square Garden. Jackson should definitely start for UNC going forward, as it could be the key roster decision UNC to make the NCAA Tournament.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : Ian Jackson talks about his homecoming game during UNC’s upset win over UCLA