UNC Recruiting: Armando Bacot is set to announce a commitment

The wait is almost over for fans awaiting Armando Bacot’s decision as to where he will attend college. The 6’9, 244-pound five-star big man from Richmond, Virginia announced first via 247Sports and then via Twitter that he will make a commitment tomorrow at 5:00 PM Eastern time:

This recruitment has long been considered a two-horse race between Duke and North Carolina, though Bacot’s previously released top 5 also consists of Oklahoma State, Georgia, and VCU. North Carolina is a near-perfect system fit and Roy Williams has consistently made him a top priority, while Duke is a childhood favorite but has been inconsistent in their pursuit and intensity thereof. UNC seemed to be in control for a while, but with Duke recently losing traction with frontcourt players once considered Duke leans or even locks, there was some buzz that they may renew their efforts to get Bacot, and that he might in turn be receptive to the idea of playing at the school he grew up supporting.

Bacot is an excellent player who fits the Carolina system to a T, but landing him would carry recruiting benefits for Roy Williams as well: Bacot will be teammates at IMG Academy with top targets Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Josh Green, and is close friends with Cole Anthony. Talk of package deals is usually nonsense, but it could only be a good thing for those guys to have a teammate and/or friend in their ear about UNC for the next year.

Notably, 247Sports’ recruiting director, Evan Daniels, submitted a Crystal Ball prediction for Bacot to UNC just a day before breaking the news that Bacot would be committing on Thursday. Make of this what you will.