UNC standout center Armando Bacot exited in the first half of Tuesday’s 65-58 loss to the University of Virginia with a left ankle injury. Here’s what you need to know:
- Bacot, a preseason All-American and ACC Player of the Year, went down in the opening two minutes of Tuesday’s game and had to be helped off the floor.
- He did not return to action Tuesday night. Following the game, the 22-year-old left the stadium on crutches.
- UNC coach Hubert Davis did not provide an update on the severity of the injury Tuesday, but said, “I know that he’s really in a lot of pain because in those situations throughout his career, he usually gets back out there on the floor.”
- Bacot is the ACC’s leading scorer and leading rebounder, averaging 18.8 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game so far in the 2022-23 season.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What has Bacot meant to UNC this season?
Everything. That may seem dramatic, but this is a guy who leads the ACC in both scoring and rebounding, who had scored 20+ points in five straight games, and who — without exaggeration — was having an All-American caliber season. He’s that good, and that important to a UNC team that without him, can sometimes get a little trigger-happy from 3.
Advertisement
UNC’s turnaround after a four-game losing streak earlier this season was directly predicated on feeding Bacot in the post, rather than letting guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis shoot as much as they liked. And especially considering the team’s limited frontcourt depth behind him — fellow starting big Pete Nance missed basically his third straight game with a back injury — it’s hard to see North Carolina having much season-long success without Bacot as a focal point. — Marks
Where does UNC go if Bacot misses extended time?
Where it went on Tuesday: to freshman forward Jalen Washington. Washington scored a career-high 13 points in a career-high 27 minutes against Virginia, in easily his most extended minutes of the season. Washington tore his ACL last October and sat out his senior year of high school, and made his season debut on Dec. 10 against Georgia Tech. So, he’s only been playing competitive basketball for about a month now. And yet, if Bacot misses any extended time, Washington is basically Davis’ best option. At 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds, Washington has the size (and ability) to rebound and score inside, but does he have the stamina? Not yet. But more extended minutes in the near future is the fastest way to remedy that problem. — Marks
What they’re saying
Davis said after the game he hadn’t yet spoken with Bacot.
“I know he’s hurting pretty bad,” Davis said. “I didn’t see the play; I just saw him on the ground, and he was in a lot of pain … I’ll talk with Doug Halverson, our trainer, and see how serious it is, but I didn’t see the play. I just saw him on the ground.”
Davis said he realized at halftime Bacot wouldn’t return.
“I was not looking for him, but I guess just hopingly expecting him to get back in the game, because when he was walking off the floor, he said, ‘Coach, I just need to tie my shoe and I’ll be back out there.’ My only concern is Armando. I just want him to be OK.”
Required reading
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2lucm9gbnxzfJFsZmlpX2Z%2BcMHNnGSaqp2Wu6W7jJuYnKekYravttSrsGg%3D