Justin Jackson came into the season looking to elevate his game to elite status for the North Carolina basketball team. Dennis Smith Jr. came to NC State looking to live up to the hype that preceded him as the nation’s top point guard prospect. Both delivered on their respective goals last week and were rewarded with honors from the ACC. Jackson was named the league’s co-Player of the Week for his career-best 34-point performance against Kentucky against Saturday while Smith was selected as the conference’s Rookie of the Week for averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two Wolfpack wins.It’s the first time both players have earned spots on the ACC’s weekly honor roll.Jackson went 10 for 17 from the floor in the Tar Heels’ 103-100 loss to the Wildcats in Las Vegas while adding five rebounds and three assists. He twice gave his team the lead in the final minutes with a 3-pointer and a driving layup on which he was fouled. He shared his ACC weekly honor with Boston College sophomore and Raleigh native Jerome Robinson, who averaged 27.5 points in wins against Auburn and Sacred Heart. Smith, meanwhile, contributed a game-high 22 points, six assists and three steals in Wednesday’s win against Appalachian State, then added 17 points, a season-high nine assists and five rebounds in Sunday’s rout of Fairfield. The young Wolfpack star made 5 of 7 from beyond the 3-point line in the game and finished 11 for 18 overall from the floor for the week.
