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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina junior forward Armando Bacot met with the media Thursday afternoon to field questions about the Tar Heels’ game Saturday at home versus No. 9 Duke.
Bacot discussed his thoughts on the rivalry, that he’s talked to teammates who haven’t participated in it either at all or before a full arena, what concerns him about the Blue Devils, his favorite Duke-UNC game growing up, and so much more.
Above is the full video of Bacot’s interview and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Bacot will be guarded for much of the game by 7-foot-1 Duke center Mark Williams, who has 67 blocked shots on the season and has been a force in the paint. Williams is athletic and has created problems for teams all season.
“I would say length doesn't bother me just because I play the way I play,” Bacot said. “I usually try to be physical and things like that so it kind of puts me in a good position to not getting my shot blocked as much.
“My main thing I guess is just trying to get him in foul trouble and getting him out of the game so he can't affect my shot of everybody else in shots.”
But Williams is especially long and athletic, but Bacot isn’t concerned.
“It'll be fun,” he said. “I've had a chance to play against a lot of good bigs ,so it's nothing out of the ordinary, but it'll be fun.”
*This will be the last time Mike Krzyzewski brings a team into the Smith Center while it’s the first time Hubert Davis will be a head coach in this matchup. And while the Tar Heels are aware of those things, they are more focused on the basketball and what is at stake in this game.
"We all know how big this rivalry is for both programs,” Bacot said. “I mean, it being Coach K's last game here, obviously we wanna win, and then even more, raise the stakes with it being for the first place in the ACC, I mean it'll be a great game, it'll be a lot of fun.”
*Duke’s Paolo Banchero leads the team in scoring at 17.8 points per contest. He is shooting 31.8 percent from the perimeter, but is at 55.2 percent inside the arc. But Bacot thinks Wendell Moore could be an even bigger problem for the Tar Heels. Moore is having a terrific junior campaign averaging 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from outside.
"He's a pretty good player,” Bacot said about Banchero. “It's not letting him get hot, not letting him get too much in the flow. I would say the main person to really worry about is Wendell. Just with him, he can affect the game in so many different areas, and I think they are at their best when Wendell is going. So really, I would say just trying to really focus in on Wendell."
*Bacot played in the game versus Duke two years ago at the Smith Center, an overtime loss by the Tar Heels. The atmosphere was frenzied, as usual, even though the Tar Heels were in the midst of a poor season. But it was still Duke-Carolina. So Bacot has talked to the younger players on the team about what to expect, plus graduate transfer Brady Manek, who spent the last four seasons at Oklahoma.
“Yeah, it's definitely probably the biggest rivalry game he will ever play in his life, because I think Duke and Carolina is the greatest rivalry in all of sports,” Bacot said. “It's not anything really I can say to him because he's been doing this for a long time. Even last game, he showed in big games. He'll be there to step up, so just it's nothing you can really say. He's seen it all on TV. Everybody knows how it is, and I think he'll be ready to fight and fired up to play. "
*Players don’t usually get caught up in things that drive the meter with fans, so does Bacot understand the significance of the Duke-Carolina games to Tar Heels fans?
“I was once a fan just trying to experience a win for UNC, so I know how it feels,” he replied. “It's something that not just us are part of but y'all (the media), our fans, and it's bragging rights for everybody.
“I feel like us as players, it's our duty to go out there and just play our hardest and give everybody on the Carolina side something to cheer for and be excited for. You go to work on Monday and talk a little trash (and) things like that."
