Armando Bacot 'playing with a sense of urgency' in win over No. 16 Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. – With the clock expiring at the end of the first half, and no other options in sight, Armando Bacot took the ball to the rim.

He was met by not one, but two, Clemson defenders closing in. Just as the buzzer sounded, sophomore forward RJ Godfrey swatted the ball out of Bacot’s hands. 

Bacot hit the hardwood. Godfrey, lucky enough to land on his feet, took the moment to stand over the graduate big man and exchange a few words. 

The word “GRIT” — spelled just like that in all caps — flashed across the screens inside Littlejohn Coliseum throughout the game. It was almost too perfect, too on-the-nose, for the physical battle that took place on Saturday. 

Luckily for the Tar Heels, these ugly games are the kind Bacot lives for. The graduate center, who’s previously described himself as a “trash man” and “nasty,” wrangled down 16 rebounds and put up 14 points in No. 8 North Carolina’s 65-55 win over No. 16 Clemson. Bacot, the Tar Heels’ all-time leading rebounder, led UNC in rebounds for the eighth time this season and 108th time in his career. 

Just days removed from eclipsing the 2,000-point mark in a win at Pittsburgh, Saturday saw Bacot climb the ladder further — passing UNC legends Charlie Scott and Al Wood on the all-time scoring list to rise to fifth place.

Not that Bacot pays that any mind. 

“No, I’m not aware of that,” Bacot said. “But I mean, I’m just glad to do it.”

Really, a game like Saturday — the third time this season and 25th time as a Tar Heel he's had 15 or more rebounds —  comes as no surprise to Bacot. It’s not shocking to head coach Hubert Davis either.

Speaking about his star big man, whom he has previously called on to be the best rebounder in the country, Davis said plainly, “He was good today.” 

“It’s just so big for us because not only can he score down there, but PJ Hall fouled out, so he gets our team into the penalty,” Davis said. “He opens up things from the outside and driving opportunities and then when he’s defending and rebounding like he is and staying out of foul trouble — he’s a pretty impactful player.” 

To prepare for Hall, who Bacot has now outrebounded 40-11 in four career matchups, the AP preseason All-American said he simply “watched a ton of film on him.”

The X-factor? Not letting Hall get to his spots. 

“Playing at Carolina, y’all know, it’s tough when you’re playing against someone who’s tough specifically in the post just because we don’t double the post when we play one-on-one,” Bacot said. “When you’re playing a guy like that, you gotta be urgent. I knew coming into this game I had to have an aggressive approach."

Bacot’s physical presence limited Hall to only 10 points — cutting in half his average of 20 per game. It also allowed UNC to out-rebound Clemson, 44-33, for which Bacot's teammates were very grateful.

Junior Harrison Ingram, standing outside the Clemson visiting locker room following the win, was asked how much the graduate center helps him on the boards. 

He just smiled.

“It’s so much easier,” Ingram said. 

Sophomore forward Jalen Washington echoed his teammate, calling Bacot “resilient.” Senior guard RJ Davis put it even more plainly, “when he’s aggressive, we’re really good.”

For a team that’s recently been challenged by their head coach to be more physical — to the point of Davis making players run or sit out during practice if they don’t rebound — Bacot’s been a North Star. And thanks to his three double-doubles in UNC’s three conference games so far, the Tar Heels are off to their best start in ACC play since the 2015-2016 season.

“This is his last year,” Davis said of Bacot. “He doesn’t have another year. This is it. And when you understand that, ‘This is it,’ you have an awareness of wanting to leave and go out the right way. He’s playing with a sense of urgency that I love watching.”

@shelbymswanson

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com 

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