College Basketball Stars, Friends: IU's Jackson-Davis, UNC's Bacot Battle at Assembly Hall

Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and North Carolina's Armando Bacot are good friends off the court, and the two All-Americans provide an intriguing matchup on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall when No. 10 Indiana takes on No. 18 North Carolina.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It all started with a Twitter exchange between two college basketball superstars and friends.

“Trynna come to the crib for this ACC Big Ten challenge?” Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis asked North Carolina’s Armando Bacot on Twitter on May 20.

“You know it’s going down,” Bacot responded. “@accmbb @B1GMBball make it happen.”

Less than two hours after Jackson-Davis announced his return to Indiana, he started working on the Hoosiers’ upcoming schedule. Stirring up excitement, at least. And by June 24, the stage was set. Indiana will host North Carolina on Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and there’s plenty of intrigue.

“To be considered one of the best teams, you’ve got to beat the best teams,” Jackson-Davis said. “They’re a great team, and I know they’ll be hungry. They’ll have a game plan for us, and we’re going to have to bring it. It’s going to be electric here [Wednesday], and I really can’t wait to see just how it’s going to be.”

A battle of blue bloods. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/lpQMd1K57D

— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) November 30, 2022

The matchup features two of the nation’s top players, two of college basketball’s most storied programs and two coaches in year two at their alma maters. Hubert Davis took North Carolina to the National Championship game in his first season, and Mike Woodson has Indiana back in the top 10 after making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 last year.

Despite the game losing a bit of its luster when the Tar Heels dropped from their preseason No. 1 ranking to No. 18 after losses to No. 23 Iowa State and No. 11 Alabama over the weekend, it’s still the headlining matchup of the last ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The two players who pushed hard for the game to happen are a big reason why. The game is full of enticing one-on-one battles, but all eyes will be on preseason All-American forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Armando Bacot.

Both players are quite familiar with each other’s games, too. As top-30 prospects in the class of 2019, they battled on the AAU circuit, which led to a strong friendship off the court. Jackson-Davis said he and Bacot used to be roommates during basketball camps, and they'd often play Super Smash Bros. with former North Carolina and current Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony.

“We're really good friends,” Jackson-Davis said. “He's a really good basketball player, obviously. We were trying to get that game against him and we got it, so I think that's going to be really fun. He's coming into our house, and we've got something for him."

It’s hard to miss the two of the nation's most dominant big men, and it’s not every year that players of their caliber return to school.

After averaging 18.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last year, Jackson-Davis declared for the NBA Draft. He spent weeks in California training like a guard to show NBA scouts he can do more than posterize defenders on the low block. But after testing positive for COVID-19, Jackson-Davis was unable to compete in the NBA Draft Combine. It became an easy decision to return for his senior year. His draft stock was in question, and at Indiana, he was the final – and most important – piece for Woodson's title-aspiring roster.

“I think this is the best team that I've been on since I've been here,” Jackson-Davis said. “I think the ceiling for our team is anywhere from Big Ten Championship to National Championship.”

In Chapel Hill, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound Bacot’s NBA Draft stock rose after averaging 15.3 points and 16.5 rebounds during North Carolina’s run to the National Championship game. Still, there was no guarantee he’d be drafted. And with the opportunity to rake in serious dough from NIL opportunities, it was “a no-brainer. I get a chance to get better, get my degree, be around all my friends and then also make a lot of money,” Bacot said in an SI article by Michael Rosenberg.

The Indiana and North Carolina stars are two prime examples of changes to college basketball and the NBA. In the past, low-post machines like Jackson-Davis and Bacot would have been poached by the NBA well before their senior seasons. Kentucky’s reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, who returned for his fourth year in college, would have, too. The same goes for Iowa’s Luka Garza, another National Player of the Year, two years ago. 

The NBA’s current demand and criteria for drafting power forwards and centers is a stark contrast from a decade ago when former Indiana All-American Cody Zeller was the fourth overall pick, for example. Make no mistake, these changes have definite positives for Jackson-Davis and Bacot, who have another year to pursue conference and national titles while making NIL money. It’s great for college basketball, too, because of matchups like Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.

Jackson-Davis and Bacot entered the year as preseason Big Ten and ACC Players of the Year, respectively, and the attention will be on this matchup throughout the night.

“I think he's a really, really, really good rebounder,” Jackson-Davis said. “He has a knack to find the ball, so boxing him out, always knowing where he is on the floor when the shot goes up is going to be huge. He runs in transition, he sets really good ball screens, so being ready to guard that is going to be big for me as well. Overall he's a great player, so I can't wait."

Both players are a bit banged up heading into the game, but North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Bacot (ankle) practiced on Tuesday and expects him to play. Jackson-Davis put any concerns about his availability to rest.

"Obviously, I'm not 100 percent, but I will be playing (Wednesday),” Jackson-Davis said. “It's a huge game, and I'm playing. You all are going to want to get that out there. I live for playing in these big-time matchups. I want to prove I'm one of the best in the country … You're gonna have to take me out on a stretcher.''

Indiana won its first true test of the season against a talented Xavier frontcourt on Nov. 18 when Jackson-Davis scored 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting with six rebounds and three blocks. But against Bacot and Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, the road will continue to get more difficult for the Hoosiers.

Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson will have his hands full with North Carolina guards RJ Davis and Caleb Love, but he’s excited to see the Jackson-Davis versus Bacot matchup unfold.

"I expect a good battle, honestly,” Johnson said. “I wish I could be sitting in the stands eating popcorn watching them two, but I'll be on the floor assisting Trayce and helping our team beat UNC."

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• OPENING LINE: North Carolina was preseason No. 1 but now has lost two straight games and are underdogs once again in its matchup with Indiana on Wednesday night in Bloomington. Here's the latest on the point spread, and both team's drastically different histories vs. the number so far this season. CLICK HERE
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• JACKSON-DAVIS RETURNS TO LEAVE LEGACY: It became an easy decision for Trayce Jackson-Davis to return to Indiana after a positive covid test kept him from competing at the NBA Draft Combine. And after receiving feedback on how he can improve his game, he's ready to leave a legacy at Indiana. CLICK HERE
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• BACOT AND NIL: Armando Bacot could have entered the NBA Draft. Instead, he'll earn a cool half mil at UNC. His draft stock spiked in the NCAA tournament, but for this business major, riding the NIL bubble and staying in school is a “no-brainer.” CLICK HERE