UNC Basketball: Armando Bacot works out with top returning big man

UNC basketball standout Armando Bacot continues to improve his game, as he most recently has been working out with another one of the country’s top returning big men.

As the old saying goes, “Iron sharpens iron.”

On the verge of his senior season with the UNC basketball program, Armando Bacot is using the offseason to once again improve his overall game. In order to do so, he’s teamed up with another one of the country’s top returning big men to do so.

Bacot posted a picture with Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning consensus National Player of the Year, as the two worked out together in Lexington, Kentucky. The duo is arguably the top returning seniors in college basketball, as they combined for 59 double-doubles during the 2021-2022 season.

Tshiebwe is coming off a monster season for the Wildcats in which he averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game. In their only head-to-head battle this season, Tshiebwe and the Wildcats got the better of Bacot and the Tar Heels in an early-season non-conference tilt.

As good as Tshiebwe was this season, you could make the case that Bacot played an even bigger role in helping the UNC basketball program make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. Although his numbers were a tad bit lower than Tshiebwe, Bacot still averaged a double-double while shattering multiple North Carolina basketball records in the process.

Now, it’s just not a coincidence that the two decided to work out together. They have a past connection, as they played together for the Team Loaded VA (Adidas) team during their high school days. This squad also featured David McCormack of Kansas (needless to say, it was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams!)

Not only is it great to see Bacot back on the court (after his injury during the NCAA Tournament), but also that he is competing with some of the best players throughout the entire country. As he ramps up for his senior season, the work put in during the offseason should be very beneficial once the games begin to count later on in the year.

Of course, you’d expect that Bacot would like his Tar Heels to have another crack at the Wildcats at some point this season.

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