CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Justin Jackson's No. 44 is headed to the rafters.

The North Carolina junior was voted the ACC Player of the Year, the league announced on Sunday.

Jackson has averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists for a Tar Heel team that won the ACC regular season title, finishing with a two-game lead in a conference considered to be the best in the nation.

By receiving the conference's top honor, Jackson qualifies for honored status in the Dean E. Smith Center rafters, meaning his jersey will hang from the arena's ceiling with 51 of the program's greatest players. The junior wing is the 14th Tar Heel to win ACC Player of the Year honors (in 15 years) and the fourth to win the award during the Roy Williams era, joining Tyler Hansbrough (2008), Ty Lawson (2009) and Tyler Zeller (2012).

“I’m just ecstatic for Justin, Joel and our team,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said in a school release. “Justin and Joel have been outstanding for us the entire season. They’re a big reason why we’ve been able to reach the first of our goals – to win the ACC regular-season championship.

“Justin has been really good from day one. To have the kind of success shooting the ball and making big plays in key situations like he did against Duke is a credit to him and the amount of work he put in to improve his game. We went through a very difficult ACC schedule and Justin gave our players a lot of confidence knowing that he would consistently be putting up 18-20 points, about five rebounds and some key assists each game. He listened to our coaching staff last spring about how to improve as a player and was determined to get better and stronger, which through his hard work and sweat, he is now reaping the benefits.

“To come to Carolina as a home-schooled youngster and earn ACC Player of the Year honors in the best conference in the country in one of the ACC’s most competitive seasons ever is a tremendous achievement."

Jackson, who has scored 20 or more points 16 times this season, is averaging the most points by a Tar Heel since Tyler Hansbrough. His 85 made three-pointers this season puts him 11 shy of breaking the program's single-season mark set by Shammond Williams in 1996-97.

All-Atlantic Coast Conference

(5 points per 1st team vote, 3 points per 2nd team vote, 1 point per 3rd team vote)



FIRST TEAM, School, Points

Luke Kennard, Duke, *265

Justin Jackson, North Carolina, 256

John Collins, Wake Forest, 255

Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame, 253

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville, 231



SECOND TEAM

Dwayne Bacon, Florida State, 141

Dennis Smith Jr., NC State, 126

Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech, 109

Joel Berry II, North Carolina, 102

London Perrantes, Virginia, 90



THIRD TEAM

Michael Young, Pittsburgh, 85

Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson, 67

Andrew White III, Syracuse, 67

Davon Reed, Miami, 66

Jayson Tatum, Duke, 51



ALL-HONORABLE MENTION (10-or-more points)

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina, 34

Matt Farrell, Notre Dame, 25

Zach LeDay, Virginia Tech, 24

Jerome Robinson, Boston College, 23

Jonathan Isaac, Florida State, 20

Seth Allen, Virginia Tech, 18

Jamel Artis, Pittsburgh, 17

V.J. Beachem, Notre Dame, 12

Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame, 11

Tyler Lydon, Syracuse, 10



ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech, 50

Isaiah Wilkins, Virginia, 41

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville, 39

Davon Reed, Miami, 25

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Florida State, 19

Matt Jones, Duke, 19



ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Dennis Smith, NC State, 51

Jonathan Isaac, Florida State, 51

Jayson Tatum, Duke, 50

Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech, 49

Ky Bowman, Boston College, 32



ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Justin Jackson, North Carolina, 24

John Collins, Wake Forest, 15

Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame, 8

Luke Kennard, Duke, 5

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville, 1



ACC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Dennis Smith, NC State, 36

Jayson Tatum, Duke, 8

Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech, 3

Ky Bowman, Boston College, 3

Jonathan Isaac, Florida State, 3



ACC COACH OF THE YEAR

Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech, 24

Roy Williams, North Carolina, 8

Mike Brey, Notre Dame, 7

Leonard Hamilton, Florida State, 4

Danny Manning, Wake Forest, 3

Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech, 3

Jim Larrañaga, Miami, 2

Rick Pitino, Louisville, 2



ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech, 37

Isaiah Wilkins, Virginia, 6

Kamari Murphy, Miami, 4

Matt Jones, Duke, 3

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Florida State, 1

Dennis Smith, NC State, 1

Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame, 1



ACC MOST IMPROVED

John Collins, Wake Forest, 26

Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech, 15

Matt Farrell, Notre Dame, 9

Justin Jackson, North Carolina, 1

Luke Kennard, Duke, 1

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville, 1



ACC SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Seth Allen, Virginia Tech, 43

Tadric Jackson, Georgia Tech, 4

Frank Jackson, Duke, 3

Marcquise Reed, Clemson, 2

Markell Johnson, NC State, 1

BREAKING -- Justin Jackson named ACC Player of the Year. His jersey will go into the rafters. STORY: https://t.co/jAitGpwEZK pic.twitter.com/ycy7Y20z04

— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) March 5, 2017