COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hours before the No. 1 seed North Carolina men's basketball team knocked off No. 16 seed Iona, Washington similarly put the clamps on Utah State to earn a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 9 seed Huskies (27-8) defeated the No. 8 seed Aggies, 78-61, behind senior Noah Dickerson's double-double. The 6-foot-8 forward had no trouble with Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Neemias Queta and torched him for 20 points and 12 rebounds.
It was certainly not Dickerson's first big-time performance of the season. In 35 games this year, he is averaging 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds.
He's had eight double-doubles this season, including a 24-point, 17-rebound outburst in a win over Texas A&M on Nov. 20.
However, Dickerson is not the only player whom UNC (28-6) needs to watch out for on Sunday afternoon. Here are two more names to know for the Huskies.
Jaylen Nowell
Nowell, a sophomore, has been one of the top guards in the country all season long. The Pac-12 Player of the Year put up 19 points, five assists and five rebounds on just seven field goal attempts in the win over Utah State on Friday night.
On the season, the 6-foot-4 guard leads Washington in points (16.3) and assists (3.2). He's also shooting 50.1 percent from the field and an impressive 44.7 percent on 3-point shots.
