The North Carolina Tar Heels are back on track. And a big reason why was the play of center Armando Bacot in the second half.
Bacot finished the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds, recording his third 25-point, 10-plus rebound game of the season in the 96-81 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
The center paced the Tar Heels in the second half, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the second half. And every time Virginia Tech went on a run, the Tar Heels were able to answer.
UNC fell behind 5-0 early in the game before battling back and eventually taking a 13-point lead in the first half. But Virginia Tech cut into that lead, getting it down to five with just over 3 minutes left. The Tar Heels’ defense hunkered down and didn’t allow a made-field goal over the final 3:13 of that first half and took a 50-39 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Tar Heels answered every run from the Hokies and never really lost control of the game. Virginia Tech would get it inside double digits a few different times and had the chance to cut it down. But UNC’s defense was fierce and the Tar Heels went to Bacot in the paint when they needed a bucket the most.
RJ Davis added 20 points in the win and Harrison Ingram finished with 12 including having a double-double in the first half. Ingram had 17 rebounds in the win as well.
The win moves UNC to 20-6 overall and 12-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. They still hold a half-game lead on Duke for first place. North Carolina will have a week off before heading into a crucial road game at Virginia next Saturday.
Player of the Game
I have to go with Bacot here. Plain and simple. He dominated the second half and was a huge reason why UNC won.
Bacot recorded his 81st career double-double and 13th of the season in the win. Without Bacot, the Tar Heels would have been in some big trouble in this game.
What’s Next?
North Carolina gets a week off before going on the road to face off against Virginia. This will be the lone meeting between the two teams as the Hokies are one game behind the Tar Heels in the conference.