North Carolina suffered an injury scare late in Saturday’s Final Four victory over Duke. Armando Bacot briefly left the game with after rolling his ankle. While he returned, he looked to be playing through considerable pain.
Bacot nevertheless has no intentions of missing Monday’s national championship against Kansas.
According to Lauren Brownlow of ESPN’s 99.9 The Fan, Bacot confirmed that he’s going to suit up for the No. 8 Tar Heels.
Armando Bacot: “My status is I’m playing.”
— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) April 3, 2022
Per The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton, Bacot said nothing short of amputation is going to stop him from competing at the Superdome.
Armando Bacot: “My right leg would have to be cut off for me not to play.”
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) April 3, 2022
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis told reporters, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel, that Bacot’s ankle is sore, but X-rays came back negative. That should put him on track to start Monday night.
Hubert Davis gives an Armando Bacot ankle update. He’s going to practice today, but stresses it’s a limited practice. He says the ankle is sore, but he’s feeling good. Swelling has been limited. X-Rays were negative. “He’s ready to play tomorrow night.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 3, 2022
Bacot scored 11 points and 21 rebounds in Saturday’s triumph over the Blue Devils, giving the junior his seventh straight double-double. He also became the first player since Tim Duncan to grab at least 20 boards in back-to-back NCAA men’s tournament games.
The 6’10”, 240-pound forward is averaging 15.4 points, 16.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during the NCAA tournament. North Carolina will need Bacot healthy to have any shot at defeating Kansas, a top seed that’s notched its last two victories over Miami and Villanova by 42 combined points.
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