All Tar Heels

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Outnumber Blue Devils on Midseason Watchlist

Two of the 30 remaining contenders for the Naismith Award are UNC basketball players.

Matt Giles

Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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Thursday afternoon marked the reveal of the 30-deep 2024 Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Midseason Team. The list includes four ACC players, and two of them are UNC basketball players; so, the Tar Heels have as many as the rest of the conference combined.

Those two UNC talents are senior guard RJ Davis and fifth-year center Armando Bacot. They have five ACC Player of the Week honors between them this season.

The other two representatives from the conference who survived the latest Naismith cuts are Duke sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski and Clemson senior center PJ Hall.

UNC is tied with Houston, Kansas, and Purdue for the most on the list:

Bacot, who leads the ACC in rebounding at 10.2 per game while averaging 14.2 points and 1.7 blocks, recently moved into third place on the all-time UNC basketball scoring list. His 2,164 points trail only Phil Ford's 2,290 and Tyler Hansbrough's 2,872.

Meanwhile, Davis, No. 3 in program history in 3-point makes with his 240 and counting, leads the ACC in scoring at 21.4 points per game. And he boasts the conference's third-best shooting percentage beyond the arc this season at 41.1.

Since the Naismith Trophy's inception in 1969, only three Tar Heels have ever taken home the hardware: Tyler Hansbrough in 2008, Antawn Jamison in 1998, and Michael Jordan in 1984. Duke basketball leads the way with eight.

NEXT UNC BASKETBALL GAME: No. 7 Tar Heels (19-6, 11-3 ACC) at home versus unranked Virginia Tech (14-10, 6-7 ACC), 2 p.m. ET Saturday (ACCN)

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Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, Duke Blue Devils on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining UNC on SI in 2023, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

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