Wisconsin senior point guard Traevon Jackson told reporters on Wednesday that he will play in Thursday's Sweet 16 game against North Carolina.

Wisconsin senior point guard Traevon Jackson told reporters on Wednesday that he will play in Thursday's Sweet 16 game against North Carolina.

Jackson has not played since breaking his right foot in a Jan. 11 loss at Rutgers. Wisconsin, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament's West region, will face No. 4 North Carolina in Los Angeles at approximately 7:47 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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[daily_cut.college basketball]Badgers head coach Bo Ryan told reporters on Wednesday that he didn't have reservations about playing Jackson on Thursday.

"If he's physically capable of being on the court, then he deserves some time because of how hard he has worked," Ryan said.

Assistant Greg Gard later told reporters the Badgers will be "very calculated" when deciding how much to play Jackson, who returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since the injury.

In 17 games before the injury, Jackson averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 assists and 1.7 rebounds. He also shot a career-high 45.6 percent from the floor.

Wisconsin defeated No. 16 Coastal Carolina and No. 8 Oregon to reach the Sweet 16. North Carolina defeated Harvard and Arkansas.

- Mike Fiammetta