LOS ANGELES – With .9 seconds left and North Carolina trailing Alabama by two points and Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson going to the line for a pair of free throws, reality started settling in for Armando Bacot.
UNC’s all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading scorer was about to see his career come to an end. As he settled in his rebounding spot, Bacot wore this reality on his face.
Heavy chest-moving breathe, wide eyes, and a look away. If he wasn’t fighting back a flood of emotion, it sure looked like it.
“Really, it was a sense of shock…,” Bacot said about 30 minutes later sitting in front of his locker at Crypto.com Arena. “It’s a tough loss, I really don’t know how to explain my feelings right now.”
The top-seed Tar Heels lost, 89-87, and with it came the conclusion of Bacot’s unique career. He played two years for legendary Carolina Coach Roy Williams, three years for Hubert Davis, went through multiple levels of basketball and personal growth, and was at his all-around best this season.
But for Bacot, the emotional current running through his body had nothing to do with rebounds, points, or even wins. It was about a singular loss, this one to the 4-seed Crimson Tide, but it was about a closing chapter of perhaps the most important period in his life.
“It sucks knowing I won’t be able to wear this uniform again,” Bacot said. “I think all you guys (media) have seen me grow up for so long. And me being here in a whole different era of UNC for my five years and everything that happened.
“It’s tough knowing I won’t be able to play here again and be in front of these fans.”
As for the loss, Bacot turned in the 87th double-double of his career, tying former Wake Forest great Tim Duncan for the all-time NCAA record. He went for 19 points and 12 rebounds, but says he could have done more, and carried the weight of a late-game missed dunk that could have sent the contest in another direction leading to a different result hovered over the Richmond, VA, native.
“Me personally, I didn’t do a good enough job boxing out,” he said. “You look at the stats, I had 12 rebounds, but I feel like I gave up a lot of long rebounds. Just down the stretch I’ve got to be better. I missed a wide-open dunk. That was tough, and a huge momentum changer… It just sucks to go out like that.”
Leaning back sitting in the locker room, with his legs spread outward almost as far as they could go, Bacot answered a long series of questions asking him to reflect on the season, his career, his stats, and his emotion.
He held it in quite well and quite impressively. It was as if he was standing up for the team one final time. Tears, wiped eyes, and sniffles were ever-present in the Heels’ locker room. Bacot was thoughtful, processing, deliberate, and concise.
His words flowed from a place of emotion, but without emotion. Perhaps that tidal wave came later into the night, or might on Friday or this weekend. It will come, though, and it should.
Bacot held it back when Nelson was at the line and Alabama’s fans were going crazy while many of UNC’s were welling up with sorrow. He was right there with them, he just didn’t let it flow. Not yet, anyway.
