All-time Tar Heel: How UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot grew after freshman year

CHAPEL HILL – Armando Bacot has played 72 college basketball games in Chapel Hill.

Bacot, who now has a pair of framed No. 5 UNC basketball jerseys, played his 71st and final game at the Smith Center in the Tar Heels’ 84-51 win against Notre Dame on Tuesday night.

But the outlier, a game at Carmichael Auditorium in 2019 when Bacot was a freshman, is the one that helped to shape a career marked by longevity and commitment.

Bacot missed 12 of his 14 shots that day in UNC’s 68-64 loss to Wofford, in a season that saw the Tar Heels finish with a 14-19 record.

Now, as a fifth-year senior, Bacot has played an ACC-record 162 games as UNC’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles.

With Tuesday's victory against the Fighting Irish, Bacot helped the seventh-ranked Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3 ACC) clinch at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

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“That day after that (Wofford) game, if you would have told me I would be in this position to be one of the all-time players here and in the ACC, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” Bacot said after scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.

“I was going through a tough stretch and I didn’t know if I would even be good enough to play here. I just trusted the process, kept working, and it made the difference for me.”

How former UNC coach Roy Williams helped Armando Bacot

When asked how he overcame the early struggles to become an all-time Tar Heel, Bacot points to a summer meeting with former UNC coach Roy Williams at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.

For Bacot, that meeting “changed everything” moving forward.

“(Coach Williams) just being so honest and telling me I need to get better … I feel like a lot of kids in my situation would have transferred or quit,” Bacot said.

“But … it just pushed me to go harder.”

Bacot and Williams still talk every week. The Hall of Fame coach was at the Smith Center on Tuesday, positioned in his seat to the right of UNC’s tunnel. After averaging 9.6 points and 8.2 rebounds as a freshman, Bacot has averaged a double-double in three of his final four seasons.

“He’s always encouraging me,” Bacot said of Williams. “He sent me a long text just saying how proud of me he is and how much he appreciated all I’ve done for the university.”

RJ Davis, Hubert Davis describe Armando Bacot’s legacy

It took a moment for Bacot to collect himself in the players’ lounge as media members bombarded him with questions about his final game at the Smith Center.

At one point, Bacot paused briefly, using his jersey to wipe away a few tears as he reflected on his career.

“It’s just crazy to think … this being my last game here and how far I’ve come, I mean, I didn’t know I was gonna start crying,” he said.

“I’m just so thankful.”

When told about Bacot’s emotions, UNC coach Hubert Davis said it’s what makes senior night “great.”

“The tears of happiness are because you’re happy, because you’re sad, but also you’re thinking about all the perseverance through the rainy days that allowed you to experience (senior night),” Davis said.

“That’s the cool thing.”

RJ Davis might have played his final game at the Smith Center, but he has the option of coming back for a fifth season. For Bacot, it’s finally over.

“I think his legacy here is hard to beat,” RJ Davis said. “The way he’s impacted not only his teammates, but this university, it’s been special. His jersey deserves to be in the rafters.”

Bacot, too, would like that honor of having his jersey on display at the Smith Center. It’s one of the many reasons he decided to come back for a fifth year.

But more than anything, he just wanted to show everyone how much he loved being at UNC.

“Being able to play in this gym has meant the world to me,” Bacot said.

“I may not have been the best player to ever play here. May not have scored the most points – I did grab the most rebounds – may not have blocked the most shots, but in terms of players, nobody has loved this school more than I have. That’s something I can be proud of.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball's Armando Bacot reflects on career with Tar Heels