All Tar Heels

UNC Basketball: Watch List Includes Tar Heel Big Man

UNC basketball's Armando Bacot is the only ACC player among the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award candidates.
Matt Giles|
UNC basketball center Armando Bacot (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)

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North Carolina Tar Heels

Every other day this week, a UNC basketball player has landed on a positional award watch list (RJ Davis on Monday and Harrison Ingram on Wednesday). Armando Bacot capped off that trend on Friday.

Bacot, a fifth-year senior who has been a full-time starter since he was a freshman in Chapel Hill, is one of 20 preseason candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. The honor, given out in March, recognizes the nation's top center.

The 23-year-old Bacot, who has also recently earned preseason All-American and All-ACC nods, is the only ACC big man on the list.

However, it includes a former Tar Heel in Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, who transferred to the Golden Gophers last year following his sophomore season at UNC (where he was a teammate to Bacot) and freshman campaign at Marquette.

Armando Bacot and Dawson Garcia join the following centers:

  • Oumar Ballo (Arizona)
  • Johni Broome (Auburn)
  • Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
  • Kel'el Ware (Indiana)
  • Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
  • Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky)
  • Jordan Brown (Memphis)
  • Jamarion Sharp (Ole Miss)
  • N'Faly Dante (Oregon)
  • Zach Edey (Purdue)
  • Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers)
  • Joel Soriano (St. John's)
  • Aday Mara (UCLA)
  • Donovan Clingan (UConn)
  • Josh Cohen (UMass)
  • Branden Carlson (Utah)
  • Eric Dixon (Villanova)
  • Jesse Edwards (West Virginia).

No UNC basketball player, nor any other player from the ACC, has taken home the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award since its inception in 2014-15.

Edey won it last season as a junior at Purdue.

At 7:30 p.m. ET Friday (ACCNX), Armando Bacot and the Tar Heels play their lone exhibition game when they host the St. Augustine's Falcons in the Dean E. Smith Center.

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UNC's Armando Bacot Looks to Put Jersey in Rafters

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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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