UNC Basketball: Kessler, not Bacot, among Kareem Award finalists

Armando Bacot is not among the finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, but a former UNC basketball big man is still in the mix.

The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is annually given out by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame to the nation’s best center.

On Friday, the finalists for the award were announced. There is a player with UNC basketball connections on the list, but you may be more surprised as to which current Tar Heel didn’t make the cut.

Former Tar Heel Walker Kessler is among the five finalists on the list, joining the likes of Drew Timme of Gonzaga, Kofi Cockburn of Illinois, Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky as well as Adama Sanogo of UCONN. Missing on this list is none other than Armando Bacot, who is having a tremendous season for the UNC basketball program.

By no means are we saying that any of the finalists aren’t worthy of their spot on the list, but it’s simply amazing that Bacot, with his overall numbers and the season he’s put together, isn’t included on the list.

A few players on the list shouldn’t be very surprising, including former Tar Heel Walker Kessler. In his first season at Auburn, Kessler has drastically increased his production from his lone season at North Carolina and is a major reason why the Tigers are considered one of the best teams in the country.

Kessler is still considered a sore subject for some Tar Heels fans, but you have to wish that he would’ve stayed in Chapel Hill. The sophomore big man, along with Bacot, would have created a lethal duo in the Tar Heels frontcourt.

The other notables, Timme, Cockburn, and Tshiebwe, have established themselves as some of the top players in the entire sport. Given their popularity and resumes, it shouldn’t be shocking to anyone that they are included on the list.

We’ll give you the above-mentioned players as acceptable to place above Bacot for this award list, but if you by head-to-head stats, the Tar Heel big man clearly has an advantage over Sanogo.

Here’s a look at both player’s stats (as of March 4)

Bacot

Games Played- 30
Minutes- 31
Points Per-Game- 16.4
Field Goal Percentage- 58.5%
Three-Point Percentage- 14.3%
Free-Throw Percentage- 69.6%
Rebounds Per-Game- 12.7
Assists Per-Game- 1.5
Blocks Per-Game- 1.7
Steals Per-Game- 0.8
Sanogo

Games Played- 25
Minutes- 28.5
Points Per-Game- 14.8
Field Goal Percentage- 51.6%
Three-Point Percentage- 0%
Free-Throw Percentage- 67.1%
Rebounds Per-Game- 8.5
Assists Per-Game- 1.0
Blocks Per-Game- 2.1
Steals Per-Game- 0.9

The categories in bold are the ones that Bacot currently has the advantage in. Based on these numbers alone, how can someone justify Bacot being excluded from the finalists’ list?!

I don’t want to hear the “well, the Tar Heels don’t have many quality victories” argument. The Tar Heels and Huskies essentially have the same record (UNC is 22-8 while UCONN is 21-8), so it should simply be a head-to-head battle.

We may be biased, but it’s time that people start asking: where would this UNC basketball team be without Armando Bacot’s presence?

Bacot has carried the Tar Heels and is putting up numbers in ACC play that only Tim Duncan was able to beat. Even with some inconsistent play from his teammates, the junior big man has been a steady force throughout the entire season.

Not being included on this list is a bit of a slap in the face for Bacot, who is, without a doubt, one of the best centers in all of college basketball.

If you don’t believe us, look deeper into the overall stats, they’ll easily speak for themself.

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