Two moments from Armando Bacot’s senior season stood out more than any others:
One, was the evening he became North Carolina’s all-time rebounder in a win over NC State on January 21. The other was after the Tar Heels’ final game, a loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on March 9.
A period of 47 days between the two events, emotional nights for Bacot. He wore sunglasses and trolled his rivals from Raleigh after one, sat on a table wearing a heavy jacket, solemn and honest, and ready to get to the team bus for the ride home after the other.
Bacot had a monster performance against the Wolfpack, scoring 23 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, giving him enough for the top spot all-time at UNC, passing Tar Heels legend Tyler Hansbrough in the process.
“I was just trying to get that weight off my shoulder,” Bacot said that night. “And I am just happy.”
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Hansbrough was there, and was thrilled to see the Richmond, VA, native break his mark.
“These are what these things are for, these are meant to be broken,” Hansbrough said. “I am extremely proud of Armando; this is a lot of hard work, and rebounding is never easy. I am happy for him; I couldn't be more excited.”
Thirteen games later, Bacot and the Tar Heels were done for the season. No NCAA Tournament, and plenty of embarrassment and ridicule, becoming the first preseason No. 1 team to not make the NCAA Tournament in the expanded era of the big dance.
Carolina finished 20-13 overall and 11-9 in the ACC. It logged just four wins over teams that made the NCAA field, and no wins over a club that won a game in the NCAA Tournament. As it turned out, Bacot said, the Tar Heels weren’t as advertised.
“I think it’s a little bit of numbness and acceptance…,” he said after the final game, when asked if he was numb or had accepted the team’s reality. “I guess were really weren’t that good.”
Yet, Bacot was. Very good, in fact.
He was first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive season and came in third in ACC Player of the Year voting. He was second a year ago, and as a result, was the preseason ACC Player of the Year.
Bacot averaged 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest on the season, but through UNC’s first 20 games, concluding with the historic night versus State, Bacot averaged 33.4 minutes, 18.8 points, 12.2 rebounds (4.8 offensive boards), shot 58.1 percent from the floor, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
In the 13 games since breaking the records, Bacot averaged 28.5 minutes, 13.1 points, 8.8 rebounds (3.7 offensive boards), shot 50.8 percent from the floor, and 67.6 percent from the free throw line.
Bacot’s best stretch of the year came in a nine-game span beginning with a win over Ohio State at Madison Square Garden on December 17 and ending with the noted win over the Wolfpack. Excluded from these numbers is the loss at Virginia on January 7, because Bacot left the game with an injury after one minute and did not return.
In the other contests, he averaged 33.5 minutes, 21.8 points, 13.1 rebounds (4.4 offensive boards), shot 62 percent from the floor, and 69.5 percent from the free throw line.
He is 14th all-time at UNC in scoring with 1,813 points, and his career rebound total is now 1,335. Bacot also holds UNC’s all-time record in double-doubles with 68.
On March 22, Bacot revealed he will use his Covid year and return to Chapel Hill for a fifth season.
