Armando Bacot discusses friendship with Mark Williams, David McCormack

As the Final Four takes center stage on Saturday, the State of Virginia will be well represented by the big men guarding the paint. North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, Duke’s Mark Williams and Kansas’ David McCormack all came up through the same AAU program in the state — Team Loaded.

Before the game took them in different directions, Bacot, Williams and McCormack shared the floor. Now, their journeys have led them back to the same place — New Orleans, where the lights will shine the brightest at the Final Four.

Prior, Bacot spoke about his friendship with both Williams and McCormack.

“I’ve been knowing all of them since middle school,” started the North Carolina star. “We’ve all played on the same AAU team. At some point we all played with each other on the same team.

“So, I guess it’s kind of cool just to see all of us make it to the Final Four and be the big man for each team. And we’re definitely all going into the weekend to come out with the bragging rights.”

First, McCormack will have a chance to send his team to the title game when Kansas takes on Villanova in the first game on Saturday. On the season, the Jayhawks center is averaging 10.1 points and 6.8 rebounds. Now, the Wildcats are the only things standing in his way of the pinnacle of college basketball.

Later, Bacot and Williams will face-off in one of the most anticipated games in the history of the sport. North Carolina and Duke are on opposite sides of one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and the stakes have never been higher. On the season, Bacot is averaging 16.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, while Williams averages 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. Only one can advance to the NCAA Tournament title game.

While their journeys have led them in different directions, taking multiple twists and turns along the way, the Virginia big men are on a collision course. Now, Armanda Bacot, Mark Williams and David McCormack have a chance at being immortalized in college basketball history in-front of their path.

David McCormack and Kansas takes on Villanova at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS. Then, Armanda Bacot and North Carolina take on Duke and Mark Williams afterwards, slated to begin at 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS.