Armando Bacot calls win vs. Clemson a huge step for UNC

Winning is good for the soul and, after the way North Carolina had played as of late, the Tar Heels needed one in the worst way. With that in mind, UNC center Armando Bacot couldn’t express how important this weekend’s win over Clemson was for him and his team.

Bacot spoke about the significance of Saturday’s 91-71 victory over the Tigers. He thought it showed a ton of progress, was a product of the hard conversations they had to have, and, plain and simple, was just fun to be a part of.

“I think it was a huge step. I thought today we really played with each other, played for each other. We had a lot of fun out there today,” said Bacot. “We were connected, we were talking to each other. But, like I said, after the Wake game? We had a lot of talks and kind of just did some soul-searching. I think that really helped us.”

After dropping three straight, Bacot helped North Carolina break out of their slump with another double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8-11 shooting. The UNC backcourt of Caleb Love and RJ Davis also combined for 40 points on the afternoon in Chapel Hill. Add in improved shooting, only seven turnovers, and a near 50-point second half and it did a lot to right some of the wrongs the Tar Heels had experienced as of late.

Something had to give with North Carolina this weekend. Still, regardless of what it was, they found a way to set things straight. The important part of that, though, is that Bacot and his teammates keep it rolling tonight with a big opportunity on their home floor against Miami.

Caleb Love discusses UNC’s players-only meeting

North Carolina has not had the seen the Tar Heels were hoping for coming into the season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the country. But Caleb Love thinks that after a players-only meeting this past week, things may be on the up.

After losing to Wake Forest, North Carolina had two long conversations amongst the players about the season. The talks definitely had an impact as the Tar Heels pounded Clemson by 20 on Saturday.

“We took the L after Wake Forest and we had that long talk after the game,” Love said. “We also had another players only meeting. I feel like we addressed things that we need to work on. Things that was holding us back. We cleared the air and had a different mindset coming into practice the next day. Coming into this game, we felt great.

Fellow guard RJ Davis led the meeting. In his opinion, Love said he thinks will play a key role in the team’s hopes for future success.

“I feel like it needed to happen for us to get to where we want to get to, which is the national championship,” Love said. “Things needed to be addressed. We got it off (our) chest. Now we move past it and now we got to build off this one.”