Hubert Davis makes bold declaration on Armando Bacot

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis couldn’t be more proud of Armando Bacot. The junior Tar Heels center elected to return to Chapel Hill last offseason instead of entering the NBA draft, and is seeing it pay off in a major way.

After Bacot put up 17 points and 14 rebounds in a dominant 94-74 victory against Florida State on Saturday, Davis declared postgame that his big man is deserving of the ACC Player of the Year.

“Statistically, the numbers he’s putting up, you haven’t seen this (at UNC) in a very long time,” the coach said. “For him to be second in the league in scoring and lead the league in rebounding, he’s just having an unbelievable year. A lot of times when I see him play, I look back at the hard work and commitment of him in the offseason. I remember when he decided to come back to school and not go to the NBA. I remember all the individual workouts and talks before the season. His personal goals about who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do. To see him be able to live out and experience those hopes and dreams has just been really fun to watch. As a coach, one of the best things is having a front row seat and watching the kids be successful. That’s what I get every day. I get a front row seat to see all the effort Armando has put in and allow it to come out this season.

“He’s having a terrific year and I personally think he’s ACC Player of the Year. He’s been that good and that consistent.”

Bacot is actually seventh in the ACC in scoring, but his numbers are impressive nonetheless. The 6-foot-10 center is averaging a double-double with 16.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game this season. He is tied for the second most double-doubles of any player in college basketball this season with 19 through his 25 games.

North Carolina currently sits at 18-7 and 10-4 in the ACC, one game out of first place. The Tar Heels are 0-7 against quadrant 1 opponents however, something that is a significant stain on their NCAA Tournament resume. They sit squarely on the bubble, coming in as an 11 seed in On3’s latest bracketology projections.

Armando Bacot has plenty of competition for conference player of the year, but Hubert Davis believes he has made a compelling case. He’ll look to continue to impress when the Tar Heels take on Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.