“We just didn't have talent”: Armando Bacot believes the 2019-20 Tar Heels squad was “trash” after losing 79-76 against Clemson
Former North Carolina player Armando Bacot called the 2019-20 Tar Heels squad "trash" after losing 79-76 in overtime to Clemson. That team was coached by Roy Williams and had Bacot, Cole Anthony, Brandon Robinson, Garrison Brooks and Leaky Black leading the charge.
Bacot, who played for five seasons with the Tar Heels, guested in the Run Your Race podcast hosted by former UNC player Theo Pinson and friend AJ Richardson, and the forward described his first year of playing under Williams.
He remembered the team having a good start, as they went 6-1 and climbed to No. 6 in the first few weeks of the season.
"We started off like we were Top 10. I remember we went to the Battle 4 Atlantis, and we had to beat Oregon. They had Peyton Pritchard. We beat Alabama. They had Herb Jones. We were beating good teams," Bacot said.
Then, the team started losing in December, beginning with a loss to Ohio State, and this is where Bacot rolled his ankle. The forward recalled the season went downhill after the loss to the Buckeyes. It kicked off a skid where they lost to Virginia, Gonzaga and Clemson.
Bacot recalled they lost one of their starters (Anthony) due to injury. The team was struggling, and Brooks was the only man producing. He also remembered how the fans jeered the team and pulled their confidence down to its deepest point.
The Tar Heels sank to their lowest depths when they played Clemson at the Dean Smith Center, their home court. Before that unfortunate day, the Tigers hadn't won in 154 games.
The forward defended the team, pointing out they played hard but couldn't hide the fact they were trash from the get-go.
"Even though we were like trash, we played hard. We lost seven games through buzzer beaters. It was more of being unlucky. Our team played hard. We just didn't have talent," Baoct said.
"And that was the first time, coach Williams really got into the (transfer) portal and we had got Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce. It was different for Carolina, because they just usually didn't do that," he added.
North Carolina finished the regular season with a 13-18 record and ended up last in the ACC with a 6-14 mark. They made the second round of the ACC tournament before losing to Syracuse by 28 points.
The Tar Heels were ineligible to make the NCAA Tournament that year, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all postseason tournaments, including the remainder of the ACC, NCAA and the National Invitational Tournaments, were canceled.
Armando Bacot had a stellar stint with the Tar Heels after that embarrassing 2019-20 season
Armando Bacot finished his freshman season with good numbers, tallying 9.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks. The all-around performance made him one of the dependable players for the Tar Heels in the following seasons.
Bacot had his career highlight in the 2021-22 season, averaging 16.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg and 1.5 apg. Overall, he played 169 games for North Carolina and contributed well to the team's cause, scoring 13.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.3 apg and 1.3 bpg in 28.2 minutes.
Armando Bacot declared himself for the NBA Draft this year, and although he went undrafted, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Utah Jazz. He will now have a chance to compete for a spot in the Jazz roster during the offseason.
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