UNC’s Armando Bacot Says He’s Playing in National Championship Game

After sustaining an ankle injury late in Saturday’s win over Duke, North Carolina forward Armando Bacot said Sunday he expects to play in the national championship game.

The 6’11’’ junior provided an update on his status ahead of the eighth-seeded Tar Heels’s meeting against No. 1 Kansas on Monday night. 

“My status right now is that I’m playing,” he said, per All Tar Heels’s Isaac Schade. “There’s no way I’m not playing in the national championship game. My right leg would have to be cut off for me not to play.”

Bacot briefly exited against the Blue Devils after rolling his right ankle with 5:18 to play in the second half. Following a brief stay on the sidelines, Bacot checked back in with 4:36 remaining and ended up finishing the game. 

At the time of his exit, UNC trailed Duke, 67-65, after a pair of AJ Griffin free throws. The back-and-forth affair saw the heated rivals exchange the lead seven times before guard Caleb Love nailed a contested three with 28 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a 78-74 lead. Love eventually iced the game at the free throw line 20 seconds later.

Bacot, one of the top rebounders in the country, recorded an 11-point, 21-rebound double-double in the win—his fifth of the NCAA tournament. He will look to continue his dominant performance against KU after becoming the first player in ACC history to record 30 double-doubles in a season.