UNC Basketball 2020-2021 Player Preview: Armando Bacot

Our 2020-21 UNC Basketball player preview series continues with sophomore center Armando Bacot and if he can take the next step this season

Kerwin Walton | Donovan Johnson | Creighton Lebo | Day’Ron Sharpe | Walker Kessler

Center Armando Bacot had a very interesting first season in Chapel Hill for the North Carolina Tar Heels last year. Despite it starting off slow for the Virginia native, Bacot turned things around and improved as the season went on.

He finished the 2019-20 season averaging 9.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field.

It was a very quiet season for Bacot despite nearly averaging a double-double playing alongside Garrison Brooks. Bacot did get better as the year went on, learning the college game and going up against some good big men in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

That bodes well for a big season this year.

Going into this season, Bacot is one of a few returning players that is expected to make a big impact for the Tar Heels. Getting the duo of Brooks and Bacot back along with adding in Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler, the Tar Heels should have a dominant frontcourt. It could be even better if Bacot took that next step in his sophomore year and developed the skills to be an elite big man.

What to Expect in 2020-2021

As mentioned above, this is a big second-year for Bacot. The center is expected to take that next step in his game and become a better player. If he does, we could be talking about a player that takes a similar step as his teammate, Brooks, except for a year earlier. Brooks took that step from his sophomore to his junior year.

For Bacot, the biggest thing for him is to get stronger and work on better post moves. He lacked those last season at times and seemed rattled when going up against good big men. But you live and you learn right?

This season, Bacot enters the year as the starter once again at center. The Tar Heels have a lot of depth in the frontcourt with Bacot, Brooks, Kessler and Sharpe so it will be interesting to see what what they do with their rotation. While Bacot will get the start, Williams could look to deploy him with a combination of any of the three. We could even see him shift to power forward at times but he needs to improve his offensive game.

I think it’s fair to expect Bacot to take a step forward in his development, learning some post moves and getting better at rebounding. That’s the goal and it’s likely it will happen. The thing that could derail it is lack of playing time due to their being three other players in the rotation. But that’s not as likely.

Bold Prediction

Seeing that I think Bacot is going to have a big year, my bold prediction isn’t going to be super bold to some but good enough for me. I think Bacot will up his average this year and get to that double-double mark for his sophomore season.

The reason I think it’s bold is because of the rotation the Tar Heels will have. Last year, they weren’t really deep in the paint but this year will be different with the freshman class coming in.

Bacot should improve his scoring and rebounding, which will certainly help the Tar Heels offense this season. Don’t be shocked to see him elevate his game and hit this mark.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for more on UNC Basketball player previews.