UNC Basketball Big Man Dunks Duke With New 'Dude' Energy

UNC basketball's Armando Bacot proved too powerful and confident for the Blue Devils to handle.

Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

In his final time facing Duke in Chapel Hill, UNC basketball graduate post talent Armando Bacot notched the highest scoring total of his five-year career in the college game's greatest rivalry.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center tallied 25 points in the deafening Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday night. And the No. 3 Tar Heels (18-4, 10-1 ACC) overpowered the No. 7 Blue Devils (16-5, 7-3 ACC), 93-84.

RELATED: Duke Collapses in Effort Department Against Tar Heels

Bacot shot 10-for-13 from the field and 5-for-7 at the charity stripe. Plus, he chipped in 10 rebounds and five assists across his 36 minutes on the floor, joining Tar Heel great Charlie Scott (1970) as the only UNC players in history to record at least 25 points, 10 boards, and five dimes in a battle with Duke.

It's a storybook ending for Bacot’s last bucket against Duke at the Dean Dome. pic.twitter.com/0QmuTY5Nrt

— Chris Smith (@chrismithunc) February 4, 2024

Bacot's bucket-finding prowess snapped his three-game streak coming up short of double-digit points, tied his season-high, and marked the first time he's scored 20 or more since the squad's home win over Tennessee in late November.

Third-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis praised the 23-year-old Bacot's efforts afterward while recounting the recent conversation he had with him that appears to have helped the seasoned Tar Heel flip a switch:

"We had a really nice time together, just talking about him and what is needed for him personally and for our team to be the best that he can be.

"I know people have told me that he has said that he's taking a reserve role or, you know, this is this person's team and [his] role has changed. And I told him, 'I've never told you that. For us to be the best team that we can be, we need you being a dude. And so, we need RJ [Davis] scoring 20, and we need you getting 20 and 20 rebounds.'

"And I said, 'Look, I've never been a person that points fingers and never self-evaluates and looks at myself.' And I said, 'Look, I think, one, being more aggressive and working harder to get the ball, and then me tweaking some of our plays to be able to get you the ball a little bit easier in spots where you can be effective.'

"Armando was terrific, not just scoring, but two things...

"His ability to play defense without fouling. [Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski] is one of the better players in the country. Not only can he score, he draws fouls. And we were concerned about that going into the game.

"And an area where Armando has improved so much is handling the double-team. There was a point of his career where that really flustered him. And now, I felt like he was confident in those situations to be able to get the ball out, not turning the ball over.

"I'm just really happy for him."

NEXT UNC BASKETBALL GAME: at home versus unranked Clemson, 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN)

STREAM: fuboTV (start your free trial)

Five-Star Prep Goes Off Before Visiting UNC for Duke Game

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.