Armando Bacot will return to North Carolina

North Carolina v Wake Forest — WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Hubert Davis talks with Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on February 07, 2023 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

And there’s the first domino to fall of the 2023 college basketball offseason — for those of us no longer in the Big Dance (or didn’t make it in the first place).

North Carolina star Armando Bacot, now 23 years old to close out his senior campaign, has decided to return to school for one final season. The 6-foot-11 center announced the he would be using his fifth and final year of eligibility in Chapel Hill.

“I’m using my last year of eligibility,” Bacot told Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. “I felt it was the right decision for my future. … The primary reason I am coming back is because I don’t want to leave North Carolina this way. But I also know I need to improve and feel like this is the best place to do that.”

And yes, he understands the humor in being one of the college basketball’s longest-tenured and productive players, back again for one final run. He likened himself to former Kansas big Perry Ellis, who played what felt like 12 seasons in Lawrence.

https://t.co/vvAHsPjgpV pic.twitter.com/jt0Z1Ga7qq
— Armando Bacot Jr. (@iget_buckets35) March 22, 2023

Bacot averaged 15.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.0 block in 30.3 minutes per contest, his second consecutive season averaging a double-double. His team, though, would finish with a final record of 20-13, losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament and missing the NCAA Tournament entirely.

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And that’s why he wants to return, one last ride to make up for a disappointing 2022-23 season for the Tar Heels.

Kentucky set to play North Carolina in CBS Sports Classic

The North Carolina standout will be facing off against the Kentucky Wildcats in his final season with the Tar Heels, once again in the CBS Sports Classic. Extended through 2026, UK will take on UNC in 2023, followed by Ohio State in 2024, UCLA in 2025 and UNC again in 2026. The locations have not yet been decided.

Kentucky is 3-1 vs. North Carolina since the CBS Sports Classic was unveiled in 2014, with the lone loss coming for the Wildcats in 2020.

Now, a fifth matchup in the prestigious event.