2022 has been very good to the Carolina basketball programs.

Two star UNC players can now count themselves among the ACC’s best performers on the court and in the classroom. Armando Bacot, who was already named to the All-ACC First Team this season, was announced Tuesday as part of the Academic All-ACC Team as well. Alyssa Ustby, a second team All-ACC member this season, was also honored as an Academic All-ACC performer.

Bacot, a junior at UNC, is currently majoring in Exercise and Sport Science, with a focus in Sports Administration. He is also taking classes in the Kenan-Flagler School of Business, having become interested in the stock market during his time in college.

“Armando takes being a student very seriously,” UNC business professor Jim Kitchen told Carolina Athletics in January. “Forget about the athlete part. He’s one of the best students I’ve had — students, period, not just student-athletes — in my class.”

Bacot has already earned additional recognition for his academic achievements this year, having been named a recipient of UNC’s Scholar-Athlete Award and making the Dean’s List in the fall.

Ustby, a sophomore, has not yet declared a major. This is her second straight season on the Academic All-ACC team.

According to a release from the conference, minimum requirements for selection to the Academic All-ACC team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. On-court accomplishments are also taken into account when selecting the teams. Bacot is joined on the Academic All-ACC team by fellow first team All-ACC selections Alondes Williams of Wake Forest and Buddy Boeheim of Syracuse.

For a full look at the Academic All-ACC team, click here for the men and here for the women.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Maggie Hobson

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
‹
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 […]
Granted Extra Year, South Dakota Center Cameron Fens Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Seven-foot center Cameron Fens, who had exhausted his collegiate eligibility until a recent court ruling granted him and other graduating athletes one more season, committed to UNC Friday afternoon. View this post on Instagram Fens, originally from Dubuque, IA, graduated high school in 2022. He began his career with Illinois-Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference […]
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 […]
UNC Men's Basketball to Face West Virginia in 2026 Dick Vitale Invitational
Another key non-conference date for UNC’s 2026-27 season has been set. The Tar Heels will face West Virginia in the second annual Dick Vitale Invitational, which will be played Friday, Nov. 27 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. A tip-off time will be announced later. See you in Charlotte 📍⤵️ 🔗 https://t.co/ybKYYmj1sS pic.twitter.com/yY3vUw2JKc — Carolina […]
Report: Longtime Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz to Join UNC Men's Basketball Staff
According to a report from Theo Lawson of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, longtime Gonzaga assistant Jorge Sanz is set to join UNC head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill. Longtime Gonzaga assistant/Director of Operations Jorge Sanz is moving on to North Carolina after eight seasons in Spokane, where he was integral to the program's nonconference […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of Business
Carolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
›