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LOOK: Armando Bacot makes ACC history in Duke-North Carolina Final Four matchup

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•04/02/22
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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

North Carolina center Armando Bacot has had one of the best seasons in ACC history. Tonight in his team’s classic win over the Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four, he put himself in remarkably rarified air. He scored 11 points and corralled 21 rebounds, which gave him his 30th double-double on the 2021-2022 season, breaking the ACC single season record set by Wake Forest legend Tim Duncan.

Check out the graphic below from the ACC Network.

It’s just yet another accomplishment in what has been a historic season by Bacot. He’s tallied a double-double in all five NCAA Tournament games thus far for the Tar Heels. His 21 rebounds in tonight’s matchup were the most in a Final Four game since Nick Collison of Kansas grabbed 21 rebounds against Syracuse in the 2003 Final Four.

Bacot has continued to rack up the accolades

Bacot was a first team All-ACC selection this season and also finished second in voting for the ACC Player of the Year. This season, he’s poured in 16.5 points per game, 12.8 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game, while connecting on 58.6 percent of his shots.

Bacot exited Saturday night’s game after fouling out with 46.7 seconds left. He also sprained his right ankle late in the second half, but quickly returned to the game. Tar Heels guard Caleb Love drilled a dagger of a three-pointer in the final minute of the game to give UNC a four-point lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. North Carolina won the classic matchup, 81-77. It was a wild and chaotic game that saw 18 lead changes. It was undoubtedly a game that will go down in NCAA Tournament history as one of the best we’ve ever seen.

North Carolina will face the Kansas Jayhawks on Monday night in the National Championship Game. In the meantime, the Tar Heels will surely get Bacot’s ankle plenty of treatment before Monday night’s game. North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis noted in the postgame press conference after tonight’s matchup Bacot will play against Kansas.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle also contributed to this article.