Armando Bacot Named First Team All-ACC, Leaky Black Named to All-Defensive Team

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.

‹

Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's Basketball

Angelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]

Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season

As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]

Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling Scandal

Ed Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]

Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover

The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]

UNC Men's Basketball to Face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown in January

UNC is adding another high-level non-conference matchup to its 2026-27 schedule. The Tar Heels will face Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 30. The matchup has been confirmed by both programs and by Bridgestone Arena, which will host the game. Tar Heels 🆚 Fighting Illini in Nashville pic.twitter.com/UuhExCctMB — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]

UNC's Henri Veesaar Drafted by Los Angeles Clippers, Traded to Atlanta Hawks

Henri Veesaar is league-bound. The seven-foot center, who spent the 2025-26 season with UNC after committing to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 52 overall pick in the NBA Draft, who then traded that pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Veesaar spent the first […]

UNC's Caleb Wilson Selected by Chicago Bulls with No. 4 Overall Pick in 2026 NBA Draft

Caleb Wilson is headed to the Windy City. The Chicago Bulls selected the star UNC freshman forward with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Wilson is the highest-picked Tar Heel in the NBA Draft since Marvin Williams went No. 2 overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2005. Carolina […]

UNC Men's Basketball to Host Arkansas, Women to Host LSU in 2026 ACC-SEC Challenge

The matchups have been set for both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball programs in the upcoming ACC-SEC Challenge: the men will host Arkansas on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Smith Center, while the women will host LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Carmichael Arena. ACC/SEC challenge is set 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/AWzBSN1Cbv — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]

Greek Prospect Alexandros Samodurov Commits to UNC Men's Basketball

Another international prospect is making his way to Chapel Hill. Alexandros Samodurov, who has played professionally in Greece since 2022, announced his commitment to head coach Michael Malone and UNC Saturday. Samodurov, a 6-foot-11 forward, has played his entire professional career with the Greek club Panathinaikos. The club has seen sustained success during his time […]

ACC Opponents Set for 2026-27 UNC Men's Basketball Season

The UNC men’s basketball program revealed its ACC opponents for the 2026-27 season. It will be the second since the league shifted from a 20-game schedule to an 18-game schedule. Like in 2025-26, the Tar Heels will play two opponents twice, 14 opponents once and not play one other league school at all during the […]

›