LOOK: Tyler Hansbrough congratulates Armando Bacot on breaking his North Carolina career rebounds record
On Saturday evening, North Carolina superstar Armando Bacot continued to put himself in even more rarified air in Tar Heel basketball history. Bacot put together a monster performance against the N.C. State Wolfpack, pouring in 23 points and corralling 18 rebounds in carrying his team to an 80-69 victory. Not only did he become North Carolina’s all-time leader in double-doubles with 61, but he broke Tyler Hansbrough’s program record of career rebounds. Bacot now has 1,220 rebounds in his prolific career for the ‘Heels. On Saturday night, Hansbrough not only congratulated Bacot on the floor after he broke the record, but he sent him a message of congratulations on social media.
Check it out below.
“Congrats to Mando! Rebounding isn’t easy! He put the work in, well deserved!” Hansbrough tweeted after the game. He makes a great point about rebounding. Rebounds don’t just magically fall in a player’s lap.
Bacot will likely have his jersey hung in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center someday, and rightfully so. He’s established himself as one of the greatest players in college basketball history with his consistently dominant production over the years.
Bacot discussed how much it meant to him to break both records at home in front of the Tar Heel fans at the Dean Smith Center. “Yeah, I mean, it means everything. I knew coming into this game what was at stake and I knew next game, it would be at Syracuse. So, I told myself before the game, I told my coaches and everybody I was going to get at least 18 rebounds. I’m just lucky I got to do it,” Bacot said.
Below is the video from the ACC Network of Hansbrough congratulating Bacot on the floor right after he broke the record.
Bacot shared a funny story about him and Tyler Hansbrough. “Yeah, when we [were] at half court, he was like, ‘When are we done taking these pictures?’ It took like a minute and a half. It got a little awkward. We were just smiling for like a minute and a half,” Bacot said.
With the win, North Carolina moved to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in the ACC for the 2022-2023 campaign.