Following the conclusion of Carolina’s 23-8 regular season, two Tar Heels earned all-conference honors from the ACC. Junior forward Armando Bacot was named first team All-ACC, while senior wing Leaky Black earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team. Caleb Love and Brady Manek also received All-ACC Honorable Mention selections.

Bacot dominated in the low post for Carolina this season, finishing off the regular season with a 23-point, seven-rebound performance on 10-11 shooting at Duke. He is currently tied for the UNC single-season record for double-doubles with 23, which also ranks third in the country. He was the only player in the ACC to average a double-double, ranking seventh in scoring (16.6 points per game) and first in rebounding (12.5 per game). No other ACC player averaged more than eight rebounds per game.

Bacot also topped the conference in field goal percentage (59.5) and ranked sixth in blocks (1.7 per game). He scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, including back-to-back 29-point performances against Virginia and Georgia Tech in January. He was named ACC Player of the Week three times.

Bacot finished second in ACC Player of the Year voting, receiving 31 votes. Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams received 41. However, in a strange twist, Bacot actually received more All-ACC points with 380 (five points are awarded to players voted onto the first team), while Williams received 370. Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim, Miami’s Kameron McGusty and Duke’s Paolo Banchero joined Bacot and Williams on the All-ACC first team. Bacot is the first Tar Heel to be named first team All-ACC since Cameron Johnson in 2019.

Leaky Black earned a spot on the ACC All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career. Black routinely guarded the opponent’s best scorer this season, and held Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim and Duke’s A.J. Griffin to a combined 19 points in Carolina’s final two games. Boeheim finished the season as the ACC’s leading scorer. Griffin’s five points against the Tar Heels came after he scored 27 in the first game in Chapel Hill. Black received seven votes for ACC Defensive Player of the Year, trailing Virginia’s Reece Beekman and Duke’s Mark Williams, who won the award. Miami’s Charlie Moore and Duke’s Wendell Moore, Jr. joined Black, Beekman and Williams on the All-Defensive Team.

Caleb Love and Brady Manek received 84 and 38 All-ACC points, respectively, to earn them All-ACC Honorable Mention nods. R.J. Davis received one vote for ACC Most Improved Player, while Hubert Davis also received a vote for ACC Coach of the Year. NC State’s Dereon Seabron and Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes received those honors.

For a full look at the All-ACC awards, click here.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC's Cameron Fens Now Ineligible After Tennessee Court Ruling
Cameron Fens, a seven-foot center who transferred to UNC from South Dakota earlier in August, is now ineligible to play for the Tar Heels in the 2026-27 season after ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals Wednesday. The court has issued a stay on the injunction granted to several athletes – Fens included – who […]
Full 2026-27 Roster, Jersey Numbers Announced for UNC Men's Basketball
The UNC men’s basketball program has announced its full roster, complete with jersey numbers, for the 2026-27 season, the team’s first under head coach Michael Malone. The squad is set 🔒 pic.twitter.com/oQ3cJfS4iH — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) August 21, 2026 The roster features six players from the 2025-26 team: senior forward Jarin Stevenson, senior guard Jaydon Young, senior […]
The NCAA Has Won a Victory in the Class of 2022 Debate. What Does it Mean for UNC?
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted a stay in the case of Wisne v. NCAA, temporarily putting on hold an injunction which had allowed student-athletes from the high school class of 2022 to play a fifth collegiate season this year. This ruling means players such as UNC kicker Rece Verhoff […]
Chansky's Notebook: Power to the People!
Wednesday's announcement of a two-year, two-game series between UNC and NC State in Greensboro sent a clear message.
UNC Men's Basketball Unveils Complete Non-Conference Schedule for 2026-27 Season
UNC published its full non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season Thursday. Though several games on the schedule had already been confirmed earlier, Thursday marked the first time the full list of games had been unveiled. Non-conference schedule is set 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/2IHQK7XHnC — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) August 20, 2026 Carolina will start with three exhibition games: […]
UNC Men's Basketball Facing NC State in Non-Conference Matchup at Greensboro Coliseum
UNC will face NC State in a non-conference matchup at Greensboro’s First Horizon Coliseum Tuesday, Dec. 15. The coliseum confirmed the game, dubbed the “Old Dominion Freight Line Tobacco Road Classic,” with an announcement Wednesday. A tip-off time is yet to be announced, and tickets will go on sale Sep. 10 on the coliseum website. […]
Chansky's Notebook: Setting the Expectations
In his first public comments since April, UNC head coach Michael Malone laid out his expectations for Year 1 and beyond in Chapel Hill.
Chansky's Notebook: The Five Stages
Chapelboro's Michael Koh breaks down the stunning news of Seth Trimble's commitment to Louisville via the transfer portal.
Seth Trimble Returns to College Ball Under New Rules; Transferring to Louisville
When Seth Trimble entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season, he tested the waters before ultimately returning to UNC men’s basketball. Fans rejoiced, cheering on the opportunity to see an up-and-coming player keep developing into a star for the Tar Heels. Across the following two seasons, Trimble, the younger brother of former Tar Heel […]
UNC Men's Basketball to Face USC in Preseason Exhibition in Greensboro
The unofficial debut of UNC’s Michael Malone era will come in the Tar Heels’ home away from home. UNC will face USC in a preseason exhibition at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro (better known as the Greensboro Coliseum) Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Though neither program has announced the game, the Coliseum’s website has […]
›