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WATCH: Armando Bacot shows emotion after national championship loss

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•04/04/22•

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(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

North Carolina Tar Heels center Armando Bacot played through a lot of pain on Monday night, wanting to win a national championship. Dealing with an ankle injury suffered in the Final Four, Bacot still found a way to elevate his game and give his team a chance to lift the trophy.

In the final minutes of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks, Bacot reinjured himself, rolling over the same right ankle while driving to the basket. He had to come off the court, showing emotion as the game was nearly over. Bacot put every ounce of effort he had into the title game and it all poured out just before the buzzer ended.

You can watch the full moment here.

Even though he ended up on the losing side, Bacot was one of the best players in the tournament. He recorded a double-double in all six games the Tar Heels played. Bacot even tied college basketball history, leveling David Robertson’s 31 double-doubles throughout a single season.

Bacot ended the night tied as North Carolina’s leading scorer, having 15 points. He was also able to haul in 15 rebounds and even distributed two assists. Despite hobbling during warmups and even while walking onto the court, the center toughed it out and put on an incredible performance in the national championship.

During the game, Kansas head coach Bill Self talked highly of the way Bacot was playing despite the ankle injury. He said the center was still playing pretty well, even with the injury.

“We’re trying to play the way we play, but I thought we did a pretty good job of it attacking him when he’s defending on the perimeter. Jalen missed a layup right down there. And David had a couple of good post moves early but even had not 100 percent, he’s still pretty good,” said Self, in the mid-first half interview.

Bacot and the Tar Heels still have plenty to be proud of over the course of the season, especially being considered on the wrong side of the bubble late in the year. Losing the national championship is never fun but heads will be held high in Chapel Hill.