ALBANY — It certainly was a memorable return to Albany for Andre Jackson, although he tried to keep things as normal as possible for himself and his University of Connecticut teammates.
Jackson, an Amsterdam native and Albany Academy graduate, helped UConn to its second straight victory Sunday night in the Albany regional of the NCAA Tournament. He had six points, six rebounds and team highs of seven assists and 35 minutes as the fifth-seeded Huskies eliminated Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 70-55 at MVP Arena.
On his way to the interview room after the game, he exchanged a quick hug with comedian Bill Murray, whose son Luke is an assistant coach for Connecticut. Beyond that, Jackson said he tried not to do anything differently than he might on any road trip.
“I just stayed to myself and stayed with my team,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I could have got into and could have hung out with my friends, but I chose to stay me, stay with my team, and focus on the things that really matter.
“I could always come back to Albany. That’s where I live, but I can’t always come back to March Madness and being in the biggest opportunity in my life. This opportunity comes once, so you’ve got to take full advantage of it.”
With the victory, UConn (27-8) moves on to the Sweet 16, facing eighth-seeded Arkansas on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
“I definitely think Vegas is going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “I can’t wait to go out there and experience what that’s like with the team.”
Still, he said he enjoyed hearing a sellout crowd making it feel like a UConn home game.
“I appreciate everybody who came out and rooted for UConn,” Jackson said. “I heard a lot of boos when the other teams were coming out, so that gives you a little bit of an edge.”
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