UNC Basketball: Armando Bacot named to preseason watch list

Despite it being a new era of UNC Basketball under Hubert Davis, the expectations are high for the program once again.

The Tar Heels lost some key players from last year’s team with Day’Ron Sharpe heading to the NBA and both Garrison Brooks and Walker Kessler opting to transfer out. But they also return some key members and none bigger than center Armando Bacot.

The junior decided to test the NBA Draft waters after last season but opted to return to North Carolina for another year. He received some valuable advice from scouts on what to improve and Bacot looks to take his game to the next level here in 2021-22. But before the season starts, the former four-star recruit received some preseason recognition.

On Friday, Bacot was one of 20 players nationally to be named to the preseason watch list for the 2021-22 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Each year the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors the top centers in college basketball ahead of the start of the season.

Bacot is one of two Atlantic Coast Conference players to be named to the list on Friday, joining Duke’s Mark Williams, another player who took a step forward last season. Kessler, the former UNC commit, is also named to the list with his new team Auburn.

The list of 20 players will be cut down to 10 in January and then again down to five in February as finalists. The finalists will then be presented to  Abdul-Jabbar  as well as the committee where they will vote on a winner to be announced at a later date.

Bacot is coming off his best season a year ago, averaging 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 62.8 percent from the field. He’s not only one of the top centers in the country but should be one of the top players in the ACC this season.

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