He’s back.

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported on Twitter that UNC star center Armando Bacot will use his fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility to return to the Tar Heels. Bacot later confirmed the news on his Twitter account.

Bacot is already Carolina’s career leader in both double-doubles and rebounds — having surpassed Billy Cunningham and Tyler Hansbrough for those respective titles this past season — and now has a chance to make both of those records all but untouchable for the foreseeable future.

A program staple for all of his four seasons in Chapel Hill, Bacot is one of only a few remaining players who signed their national letters of intent under head coach Roy Williams, who retired in April of 2021. Bacot, Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and D’Marco Dunn are the only players currently on the roster recruited and signed by the Hall of Famer.

Bacot’s announcement also guarantees the Tar Heels will return at least one starter from the 2022-23 season. Love and Davis have yet to announce their future plans, and Leaky Black and Pete Nance are both out of collegiate eligibility.

Though Carolina didn’t reach the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Bacot still showed out as one of the premier post players in the country. He was named first team All-ACC for a second consecutive year and ranked among the league leaders in scoring (15.9 points per game, 11th), rebounding (10.4 per game, first) and field goal percentage (55.4, fifth). Bacot was also named a third team All-American after receiving an honorable mention nod in 2022.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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