We are still a few weeks away from the start of the college basketball season and for North Carolina, it’s an offseason that has been filled with excitement and a lot of hype. For good reason too.
The Tar Heels return four of five starters from a Final Four team a year go plus welcome in transfer Pete Nance. Among the returners for UNC is Armando Bacot, a senior who averaged a double-double while developing into one of the best bigs in the nation.
So far going into this season, Bacot is being honored in the preseason with some recognition. Just a few days after Bacot was named the ACC preseason player of the year, ESPN has also listed him as their conference player of the year.
But who can contend for it and take down Bacot?
Myron Medcalf recently broke down the player of the year race in the preseason and which player could challenge the top guy for it. In the ACC, he listed Miami’s Isaiah Wong for that honor:
Armando Bacot | 6-11 | F | North Carolina Tar Heels
Bacot (16.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG) is a candidate for every national player of the year award after leading the Tar Heels on an incredible turnaround and to the national title game last season.
Top Competition: Isaiah Wong | 6-4 | G | Miami Hurricanes
After averaging 16.2 PPG during Miami’s surprising Elite Eight run last season, Wong is one of America’s top returnees — and one of the ACC’s top players.
Wong is a popular name to contend for the award with Bacot and is coming off a big season for the Hurricanes. If he plays like he did in the NCAA Tournament run, he has a legit shot to win it too.
But Bacot is as good as anyone in the nation and with UNC having something to prove, he should be on his A-game as well. This could be a very fun race to watch here in 2022-23.
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