UNC vs. Georgia Tech - Player of the Game: Armando Bacot

Just a couple days ago, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis went on the record saying that he believed that Armando Bacot should win ACC Player of the Year. After Saturday night’s win over Georgia Tech, it’s getting harder to poke any holes in Davis’ argument.

The Tar Heels led from wire to wire against the Yellow Jackets, eventually winning X-X. A major reason that the final margin ended up that big was a ridiculous display from Bacot. The Carolina big man finished with 29 points on 10-16 shooting, including a 9-9 performance at the free throw line. He also finished with a double-double thanks to his 12 rebounds.

Twenty of Bacot’s points came in the second half. While UNC already had a decent lead at halftime, Bacot turned it into a laugher. At one point, he scored 12 of 15 points for Carolina, including eight straight. It was his third consecutive 20-point game, and he’s now averaging 17.4 per game for the season.

Meanwhile, not sure what exactly it is, but it appears that R.J. Davis has a personal vendetta against Georgia Tech. Back in early December in Atlanta, he dropped 23 points on 8-11 shooting with four threes in a UNC win.

Cut to Saturday night, where in the first half alone, he scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting, with four threes, three assists, and three rebounds. He didn’t repeat that in the second half, but he didn’t need to. Thanks to his first half, the Heels led by 16 at halftime and only increased their cushion from there. Davis finished with 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds.

Caleb Love and Brady Manek had solid games with 14 and 11 points respectively, and also a shoutout for Puff Johnson who made his first appearance of the season after dealing with injuries.

When UNC’s offense is truly clicking, it’s quite a thing to watch. That was especially evident on Saturday night, thanks to the efforts of Bacot and Davis.