Armando Bacot named preseason All-American

The UNC basketball standout continues to receive preseason recognition, as the Tar Heels enter the season ranked No. 1 in the country.

Mitchell Leff/USA Today Sports

On Monday, Armando Bacot was named a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, among the likes of Gonzaga's Drew Timme, reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tschiebwe, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Houston's Marcus Sasser.

Bacot, who was recently picked as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, was a First Team All-ACC selection in 2021 as North Carolina earned a National Runner-Up finish.

In the Tar Heels run to New Orleans that featured an upset of No. 1 seeded Baylor and Duke in the Final Four, Bacot tallied six double-doubles and five 15 rebounds performances.

The Richmond, Virginia native averaged an impressive 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.

His 31 double-doubles during his junior season tied the NCAA record and broke Tim Duncan's mark for the most in a single season in ACC history.

Heading into his senior campaign, Bacot needs just 219 more rebounds and 11 double-doubles to set the UNC program record.

With North Carolina returning four starters and adding highly touted Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, the Tar Heels have high expectations, opening the season as the No. 1 team in the country.

If they are to return to the final Monday night of the season for the second year in a row, the sustained success of Bacot will be a big reason why.

North Carolina will wrap up preseason play with an exhibition against Johnson C. Smith on Friday before opening up the season on Nov. 7th against UNC-Wilmington.