Fresh off suffering its first loss of the season on Thursday against Michigan, the sixth-ranked UNC men’s basketball team responded in a big way on Friday in the Bahamas–using a dominant performance from freshman forward Armando Bacot to defeat the No. 11 Oregon Ducks by a score of 78-74.

Bacot finished with a career-high 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and six blocks to give UNC (6-1) its first win over a ranked opponent this season. The Tar Heels also claimed third place in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament with the victory.

To this point in the season, the main question surrounding the Tar Heels has been who will step up as the team’s second option offensively behind freshman star point guard Cole Anthony. If Friday was any indication, it appears Bacot is ready to take the next step and become a go-to option in his own right.

Anthony had 19 points and five rebounds against Oregon (6-2), but was forced to spend six minutes on the bench late in the game after picking up his fourth foul with just over 10 minutes to play.

Bacot had four points during the stretch with Anthony on the bench, as UNC extended what was a five-point lead all the way up to 10.

Oregon whittled that double-digit lead down to just one point with 30 seconds remaining, but the Tar Heels were able to hold on by hitting all six of their free throws in the final seconds to close things out.

In addition to the big contributions from the two freshmen sensations, UNC also received a career-high 13 points from senior guard Brandon Robinson–who was responsible for three of the team’s six made three-pointers.

For Oregon, point guard Payton Pritchard led the team with 19 points thanks largely in part to going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Up Next:

Another top-25 showdown awaits the Tar Heels in their next game as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UNC will take on No. 10 Ohio State in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 9:30 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • Sophomore guard Leaky Black started the game as usual for UNC, but only played nine minutes in the first half before sitting out the rest of the way due to a sprained ankle.
  • The Tar Heels have now gone seven straight games without reaching 80 points, having yet to hit that number all season.
  • UNC junior forward Garrison Brooks–who finished with nine points and 10 rebounds–started the game wearing protective glasses due to suffering a scratched cornea in the loss against Michigan. He would ultimately ditch the glasses as the game wore on.

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

 

Photo via Todd Melet

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