UNC Basketball: Armando Bacot Not Starting Versus Virginia Tech

UNC Basketball will be without their pre-season ACC player of the year when they face another tough road game today versus Virginia Tech.

According to Inside Carolina on Twitter, Armando Bacot is not in the starting lineup but is suited up for the game, so his status today vs Virginia Tech is to be determined.

The health of Bacot has been in discussion all season as he has not been the dominant player that we saw last season. Yes, he has posted double-doubles because that is the player he is. However, everyone anticipated that Bacot would dominate the ACC and college basketball this season. That has not been the case thus far.

Bacot has already been battling an ankle injury of some kind and appeared to injure his shoulder against Indiana on Wednesday night. We do not have a specific diagnosis at this time being we know that he will not be in the starting lineup tonight.

The senior from Richmond, Virginia is averaging 16.1 points and 11.1 rebounds this season. It should be noted that while he is not in the starting lineup today, he is apparently available to play if necessary.

What is clear is that the Tar Heels need Bacot to be the player he was last season and maybe even better if they are going to achieve their goals this season. Their offense relies on his inside presence and rebounding to flow efficiently. If early season rest and recovery means that the Tar Heels can have a healthy and dominant Bacot then that is what will need to happen.

We will report any other developments we find out but for today’s game, Bacot will not be in the starting lineup.

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