Eight different Tar Heels scored on Senior Night in the Smith Center against Notre Dame on Tuesday night, as Carolina crushed the Fighting Irish, 84-51.

R.J. Davis, in what could be his final home appearance as a Tar Heel, poured in 22 points on 9-15 shooting (4-6 on three-pointers) to lead all scorers. Armando Bacot, in what is for sure his final home game, contributed 14 points and five rebounds. He made two three-pointers; it’s the first time in his career he’s made multiple threes in a game.

“Mando came to me and was like, ‘Get me open. Find me,'” Davis said. “So I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll get you one.’ I threw it to him and he knocked it down.”

In a Carolina tradition, Bacot and Davis were joined in the starting lineup by Creighton Lebo, Rob Landry and Duwe Farris. That trio didn’t score, but fellow senior honoree Cormac Ryan put together a solid performance against his former team. Ryan scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in his final Smith Center appearance.

“Being a part of this family, being a part of this team, it’s been incredibly special,” Ryan said. “We’ve had a lot of good moments. We’ve battled together. We’ve grown really close as people. And it’s something that I’m super proud of, to be part of this Tar Heel family.”

Carolina led by as many as 17 points in the first half, then quickly extended its 41-25 halftime lead with a 16-0 run to begin the second half. The Irish didn’t score for the first 5:25 of the period. The Tar Heels led by as many as 32, then rattled off an 18-0 run later in the half when Notre Dame cut the deficit down to 20. That last run included Bacot’s second three with 3:14 remaining in the game. It turned out to be his final shot in the Smith Center.

The massive lead allowed head coach Hubert Davis to pull each of his scholarship seniors one at a time in the game’s final minutes. All of them shared a long embrace with Davis as they left the floor to a standing ovation.

“I know this is something they will remember for the rest of their life,” Davis said. “Our crowd has been off the chart… showing how much they appreciate not only their game, but who they have been here at Carolina. I’m glad we had the opportunity to do that.”

For Bacot, it’s the first of many endings for his sprawling college career. Ironically, his first ever college game also came against Notre Dame in the Smith Center. That game was played on November 6, 2019. Point guard Cole Anthony played alongside Bacot that night; Anthony is now in his fourth season in the NBA. Anthony and Bacot’s last official recruiting visit to Chapel Hill came on March 9, 2019 – almost exactly a year before the COVID pandemic shut down the country – to watch Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Coby White’s Tar Heels face Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Duke.

Bacot’s Chapel Hill beginnings are so far in the rearview mirror that freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau asked him if he had played against Williamson in college (“I’m not that old,” Bacot replied). His freshman season in Chapel Hill can be best described as forgettable – he remembered a home loss to Wofford as one of his lowest moments. Now, he will leave as the program’s all-time leading rebounder.

“Being able to play in this gym, it’s meant the world to me,” Bacot said. “I may not have been the best player to ever play here, I may not have scored the most points… but I think nobody has loved this school more than I have. It’s something to be proud of.”

With the win, UNC has clinched at least a share of its 33rd ACC regular-season title. The Tar Heels can win the outright title and clinch the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament when they visit Duke in the regular-season finale. Tip-off in Durham is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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