Hubert Davis plans to alter game plan to counter extra attention on Armando Bacot

Following an 80-72 loss to Miami on Monday, North Carolina coach Hubert Davis knows he has to find a better way to get Armando Bacot the ball. The Tar Heels big man attempted just six shots in the game to finish with 12 points and four rebounds, fouling out in 33 minutes.

Although the Hurricanes defense certainly deserves some credit, Davis believes there are ways UNC can adjust its game plan to get Bacot more opportunities.

“There’s a number of things that we can do,” he said. “That’s something that I’m gonna look at and have to pivot and tweak and alter and change. Going into a game, Armando is so dominant down low and in the post that he’s not gonna get an opportunity to just catch the ball down there one-on-one and be able to go to work. We have to find other ways or find other players out there on the floor.

“Another problem for us, you can possibly put more shooting out there but it just didn’t match up with their athleticism on the defensive end. We’ll take a look at it this week and see if we can make some tweaks and pivots and alters and changes before we play NC State on Sunday.”

The Tar Heels shot an abysmal 5-of-31 (16.1%) from 3-point range in the loss to Miami. That has been a major issue for UNC all season, as it is tied for last place in the ACC in 3-point percentage (30.6%). If those outside shots aren’t falling, Hubert Davis believes the team has to find more creative ways to get Armando Bacot touches.

Bacot leads the Tar Heels with 17.4 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. The six shots he took on Monday were tied for the fewest he has attempted in any game where he played at least 20 minutes this season. He typically attempts 11.2 per game, so hopefully the most recent outing was just an aberration.

“There’s different ways where we can get the ball to him at different parts of the floor,” Davis said. “We could try some different personnel. But at the end of the day, we’re just gonna have to be able to make some shots. It is what it is. I don’t know if we are still, but before the Clemson game I know percentage-wise we were the worst 3-point shooting team in the ACC. That’s never a good thing.”

With the loss, North Carolina dropped to 16-10 (8-7 ACC) on the season. After beginning the year at No. 1 in the AP poll and coming off of a national championship appearance, the Tar Heels now find themselves in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. They are among the “last four in” currently according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

With that being the case, getting Bacot the ball will be an extra emphasis as UNC makes changes for the final five games of the regular season. That begins with a road rivalry matchup against No. 23 NC State at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.