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NEW ORLEANS – Fear struck the hearts of North Carolina fans for several minutes Saturday night when junior forward Armando Bacot went down with what initially appeared was a gruesome ankle injury.
At the time, UNC’s national semifinal game with Duke was tied at 65-65 and just 5:18 remained on the clock. The game had trended toward an instant classic for 35 minutes, and surely it wasn’t going to end with perhaps Carolina’s most important player on the bench writhing in pain.
It did not, as Bacot, who was helped off the court by a pair of teammates, returned to action at the 4:36 mark, but wobbled some the rest of the way, as the Tar Heels (29-9) defeated the Blue Devils, 81-77, to advance to the national championship game Monday night versus Kansas at the Superdome.
So, a hot topic early in UNC Coach Hubert Davis’ press conference Sunday afternoon was the health of the runner-up for ACC Player of the Year.
“He's going to practice today,” Davis said. “But our practice is going to be very limited. Even if he didn't twist his ankle, it's going to be limited. They did X-rays and they were all negative.
“Obviously, he's a little sore. But he was walking around and feeling good and was very encouraged with the amount of swelling from his ankle sprain. And he's ready to play tomorrow night.”
Bacot was asked multiple times in the breakout room interviews and each time gave the same basic response, “I’m fine.”
He scored 11 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the win over Duke, and has now pulled down 20-plus boards in Carolina’s last two games, and five times this season. The 6-foot-10 junior from Richmond, VA, is averaging 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per contest, and has recorded an ACC-record 30 double-doubles on the season. He is averaging 16.8 rebounds per contest in the NCAA Tournament.
In Kansas, Bacot will face Jayhawks (33-6) big man David McCormick, who is as big and as strong as the Carolina star, so the challenge Monday night will be significant, and Bacot’s ability to move freely and without restriction will be a key.
“Obviously, it's a great matchup in the post,” Davis said. “Two unbelievable post players that can rebound the basketball, can score consistently down low in the paint. It's a big emphasis for us as well as Kansas. And it could ultimately come down to the winner of that matchup being the determining factor of who wins the championship.
“But Armando looks really good and he's very encouraged and ready to play tomorrow night.”
UNC and Kansas tip at 9:18 EST and the game will be aired on TBS.
