"His hamstring issue is something we all know is tricky to read, and you don't want to bring him back too soon," Brey told reporters Monday. "So I think as we prepare for Thursday, we are preparing like we will not have him."
If Jackson is out or at less than full strength for a prolonged period, that could jeopardize Notre Dame's hopes of securing an NCAA tournament bid. The junior is averaging 16.6 points and 5.0 assists so far this season after playing in the shadow of fellow perimeter standouts Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton the previous two years.
Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2) has reeled off four wins in a row to stay two games behind first-place North Carolina in the ACC standings, but the Irish have mostly feasted on lower-echelon competition aside from their road win at Duke. Now the Irish begin a six-game stretch that includes home games against North Carolina and Louisville and road games against Syracuse, Miami and surprising Clemson.
The encouraging news for Notre Dame is that freshman Rex Pflueger is showing signs of being ready to take on an increased role. Pflueger did not play in Notre Dame's ACC opener at Virginia, but he has logged 10 or more minutes in each of the Irish's three most recent games including a career-high 32 minutes Saturday against Boston College.
Pflueger is not nearly the scorer that Jackson is, but the 6-foot-6 guard is a physical, consistent defender and a calming presence as a secondary ball-handler on offense. He scored 11 points against Boston College and is likely to start in place of Jackson on Thursday.
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