One of the greatest on-court duos and off-court friendships, in recent UNC basketball memory, is R.J. Davis-Armando Bacot.
The two carry themselves like a pair of lifelong friends. Anytime you’ve watched a Carolina game, chances are you see them speaking to each other in the huddle. If one of them makes a big bucket, the other is there to immediately congratulate.
Sadly, this is the last year UNC will get to experience the Bacot-Davis bromance. So far, we’ve witnessed some lethal pick and rolls between the two, Bacot kicking the ball out to Davis for a three, or Davis pounding the ball down low to Bacot for an easy layup.
At the 2023 ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., Davis answered a question from Daily Tar Heel’s Shelby Swanson, about what it’s meant to grow as a Tar Heel with someone like Bacot.
“It’s definitely sad,” Davis told Swanson. “I’ve been with Mondo since my freshman year. I’ve seen how he’s grown as a player and a person. Not knowing much of him my Freshman year, to now building a connection with him, I think this is going to be our best year. I’m just super proud of him and super proud of the relationship we’ve built on and off the court.”
If Bacot and Davis aren’t the Tar Heels’ top two players this year in terms of on-court production, I’d be shocked.
The duo combined to average 32 points per game last year, which was 42 percent of Carolina’s scoring. Bacot is UNC’s all-time leader in double-doubles and rebounds, while Davis is the Heels’ leading returning in scoring (16.1), 3-pointers made (63) and 3-point percentage (.362).
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