Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ projected 2020-21 starting lineup

By Blake Cockrum

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21: Garrison Brooks #15, Leaky Black #1 and Anthony Harris #0 of the North Carolina Tar Heels walk back on the court after a timeout in their game against the UCLA Bruins during the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena on December 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tar Heels defeated the Bruins 74-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21: Garrison Brooks #15, Leaky Black #1 and Anthony Harris #0 of the North Carolina Tar Heels walk back on the court after a timeout in their game against the UCLA Bruins during the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena on December 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tar Heels defeated the Bruins 74-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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UNC Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 04: Armando Bacot #5 of the University of North Carolina holds the ball during a game between Georgia Tech and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on January 4, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /

Armando Bacot

Armando Bacot joined the Tar Heels last season as a promising 5-star prospect out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. With a 6-foot-10, 232-pound frame coming out of high school, Bacot was already equipped with the kind of size he’d need to compete in an Atlantic Coast Conference front court. But it wasn’t just his height and weight that put him in a position to post up with the conference’s best bigs; it was a considerable amount of skill, too.

Granted, Bacot has work to do when it comes to his jump shot, interior moves, footwork and strength with the ball in his hands, but his upside is incredibly high. So, too, is his value with the Tar Heels moving forward, given that front court running mate Garrison Brooks has just one season of eligibility left. Bacot, of course, could leave after his sophomore season in Chapel Hill, but has the opportunity be a dominant force in the ACC in the years to come, should he choose to stick around.

Even as an unpolished rookie during the 2019-20 season, Bacot averaged 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He recorded 11 double-doubles in 32 games, and established himself as the team’s second-leading offensive rebounder. He shot less than 47 percent for the season, however, a number that is sure to improve once he learns to go straight up with the ball in the painted area. He’ll also see more success and efficiency on the offensive end of the floor when he’s able to hold on to the ball in traffic better, something he struggled with throughout the season that led to many of his 55 turnovers.

All in all, though, Bacot had a solid freshman season for the Tar Heels. More importantly, we expect to see measurable improvement in Bacot from year one to year two, as his raw talent combined with a season of experience in Roy Williams’ system has his trajectory pointing straight up. His spot in next year’s starting lineup is unquestioned, despite the arrival of 5-star big men Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler.

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