Ian Jackson's scoring, Elliot Cadeau rare play help UNC basketball ...

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UNC basketball's RJ Davis, Tar Heels talk loss to Florida

Following UNC's loss to Florida, several Tar Heels broke down what went wrong and where the team goes from here.

Ian Jackson was sensational from start to finish and Elliot Cadeau saved UNC basketball in the closing seconds of a 74-73 win at Notre Dame on Saturday. 

With 4.8 seconds left, Cadeau buried a 3-pointer through contact and made the ensuing free throw for the Tar Heels’ first four-point play in nearly four years as UNC (9-6, 2-1 ACC) scored six of the final eight points to fend off the Fighting Irish (7-7, 1-2). 

Cadeau had 10 points and six assists, with Jackson scoring a career-high 27 points to go with six rebounds for UNC, which led by 11 points in the second half before Markus Burton led the Irish all the way back. Burton scored 23 points, but missed a layup at the buzzer to give the Heels a road win.

The Tar Heels were without junior guard Seth Trimble for a third straight game. Trimble, who was injured during a practice on Dec. 28, is dealing with an upper-body injury. UNC returns to the Smith Center to play SMU (11-2, 2-0) on Tuesday (9 p.m., ACC Network). 

Here are some observations from UNC’s road game at Notre Dame. 

Ian Jackson sizzling shooting continues for UNC basketball 

UNC freshman Ian Jackson came in averaging 24 points the previous three games. Jackson’s sizzling start at Notre Dame saw him score 15 points in the first 12 minutes to help the Tar Heels take a double-digit lead. Jackson passed 20 points on an alley-oop from RJ Davis early in the second half, but Notre Dame then took command before Cadeau’s big-time play at the end. Jackson is the first UNC freshman to score 20-plus points in fourth straight games since Tyler Hansbrough in the 2005-06 season. 

Markus Burton brings back Notre Dame as UNC defense racks up fouls

Notre Dame guard Markus Burton missed the last seven games with a knee injury, but returned against UNC and showed why was last season's ACC Rookie of the Year. Burton led a second-half charge that included a 15-2 run to put the Heels behind. After limiting Notre Dame to 41% shooting in the first half, UNC struggled to defend without fouling as the Irish got into the bonus midway through the second half. Burton scored 17 of his 23 points after halftime. The Tar Heels have struggled to string together stops against Power Four programs, allowing an average of 84.6 points in its first eight games before holding Notre Dame to 73.

RJ Davis passes Armando Bacot on scoring list, leads Tar Heels in assists 

RJ Davis passed former teammate Armando Bacot on UNC’s all-time scoring list, but his playmaking keyed the Tar Heels’ fast start at Notre Dame. Davis had five assists in the first half and matched his season-high with seven assists. The fifth-year guard hasn’t been able to find a groove with his scoring, but he only had one turnover at Notre Dame as UNC's top facilitator.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.