North Carolina Tar Heels News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis hugs forward Armando Bacot (5) on his last home game during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Dean E. Smith Center. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Armando Bacot's home career ends in style: 'It's meant the world to me'

By Max Rego | Last updated 3/6/24

Armando Bacot and North Carolina are synonymous with each other. On Tuesday, that partnership reached its Dean E. Smith Center finale.

On Senior Night, the No. 7 Tar Heels drubbed Notre Dame 84-51. All five starters — Bacot, guard RJ Davis and walk-ons Rob Landry, Creighton Lebo and Duwe Farris were either seniors or graduate students, as head coach Hubert Davis has stuck with a tradition started by the late Dean Smith.

Davis, on his way to becoming North Carolina's 16th ACC Player of the Year, joining a list that includes Phil Ford, Michael Jordan and Tyler Hansbrough, was superb as usual — his 22 points and six assists were both game-highs.

But the 6-foot guard could, in theory, return for next season; he has the option of using the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the pandemic. After the game, Davis — who was recognized during the Senior Night festivities — told reporters that he was still unsure whether he would return for 2024-25.

However, for Bacot, a fifth-year graduate student, this was goodbye to the "Dean Dome." The man, who turned 24 on Wednesday, turned in a modest stat line, with 14 points, five rebounds, a block and an assist in 25 minutes of action.

It was a stat line supplemented, though, by two three-pointers — including his final points of the night. For a guy that had previously hit just three triples in his Tar Heel career, it was a unique, and perhaps fitting, capper.

"There was no way I was hitting this game without hitting a three-pointer, for sure," Bacot told reporters postgame, donning his trademark grin.

Going out with a bang ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/42xDa30EWt
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 6, 2024

And so, after five years, Bacot's home career comes to a close. Sometime in the next few weeks, whenever North Carolina finishes its NCAA Tournament run, his college career will come to a close.

What a unique career it has been. During Bacot's freshman season in 2019-20 (which began, coincidentally, at home against Notre Dame), the Tar Heels went 14-19 and missed the NCAA Tournament for just the second time under Roy Williams.

Then, in 2020-21, Williams lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his 33 years as a head coach, and then retired — with Hubert Davis being promoted from his post as an assistant.

In 2021-22, North Carolina beat Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game, reached the Final Four as a No. 8 seed, ended Krzyzewski's career in the national semifinal and then lost in the title game to Kansas in agonizing fashion.

Last year, the Tar Heels became the first preseason No. 1 to miss the NCAA Tournament since the 64-team era began in 1985.

All along the way, Bacot was there, racking up rebounds (the most in program history, with 1,077) and being the face of one of college hoops' blue blood powers.

Now, with North Carolina one win away — it plays at No. 9 Duke on Saturday — from its first ACC regular-season title since 2018-19, and set to contend for the ACC and NCAA titles, the bruising big man deserves the love.

"It's meant the world to me," Bacot said. "I may not have been the best player that ever played 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, and that’s something I can be proud of."

More must-reads: