Hubert Davis praises impact of Jalen Washington following Armando Bacot injury

North Carolina was without star big man Armando Bacot for virtually the entire 65-58 loss against Virginia. Bacot rolled his ankle in the opening moments of the game, and did not return.

In his place, four-star true freshman Jalen Washington had the best game of his career, finishing with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting. He also talled six boards and blocked one shot during his 27 minutes on the court.

“I thought [Washington] played fantastic,” UNC head coach Herbert Davis said after the loss. “To be a freshman, to be on a road, to get extended minutes – I was very pleased with him and very proud.”

His scoring totals were the second highest on the team by the final tip. He and Caleb Love both scored 13 while RJ Davis finished with a team-high 16 points.

Washington’s performance reitterates the ‘next man up’ mentality Davis needs his bench players to have on a nightly basis. Before Tuesday night, he had never played more than seven minutes in a game for the Tar Heels.

“I’ve said this to you guys and I’ve said it to the team a number of times that your number is going to be called, and I can’t tell you when, where, how the manner in which it’s gonna be called,” Davis said. “But your responsibility and your job is, when it’s called, you need to be ready. His number was called tonight. It was called for him to play extended minutes more than he has since coming back.”

Despite Washington’s heroics, North Carolina would lose to the No. 13 Cavaliers and drop to 11-6 on the season. Their 3-3 record in ACC play ranks them ninth in the conference – a far cry from their March Madness run in the spring and subsequent No. 1 overall preseason ranking.

They’ll look to get back on track this weekend as they’re set to travel to Louisville in what is expected to be a lobsided win for the Tar Heels.