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North Carolina’s Armando Bacot was ranked No. 2 on CBS Sports’ annual list of the top 100 college basketball players earlier this season, which I think drew more criticism from fans than any other ranking of any other player.
Was Bacot #2 on my ballot?
NO.
That’s a little higher than I had. But I had the 6-foot-11 center at No. 4 and never really understood the controversy surrounding his placement at No. 2 because — maybe the Tar Heels’ struggles last season in general have made some forget, but – Bacot is undeniably a He was a great college basketball player, one of the best, and he made a memory on Sunday by finishing with 22 points and 20 rebounds in UNC’s 90-68 win over Lehigh.
It was the third 20-20 game of Bacot’s career.
“It’s what we need and need to be at our best,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “There is a sense of urgency [present this season] I don’t have that [previously] seen in him.”
Bacot is averaging 23.5 points and 16.5 rebounds in two contests for North Carolina, which is ranked No. 21 in the updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings as of Monday morning. He is shooting 60.0% from the field and is on pace to become an All-American for the second straight year.
Next up for UNC is Friday’s game against UC Riverside. The Tar Heels will then compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they will begin with Northern Iowa and then play Villanova or Texas Tech before concluding the three-game event with a contest against Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan or Stanford.
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