North Carolina forward Armando Bacot announces he's returning to Chapel Hill for 2023-24 season
When Armando Bacot returned for another season, the goal for North Carolina was to win another national championship. Unfortunately, they came up well short and did not make the NCAA Tournament field. In what could have been a sour taste to end his college career, Bacot has reportedly decided to give it one more opportunity.
According to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, Bacot plans on returning to Chapel Hill for the 2023-2024 season. A surprising move for the forward, who will be entering his final season of eligibility. Bacot has been playing at an All-American level for the past year now and will hope to continue the form next season.
“I’m using my last year of eligibility,” Bacot said in a statement to Stadium. “I felt it was the right decision for my future. The primary reason I am coming back is because I don’t want to leave North Carolina this way. But I also know I need to improve and feel like this is the best place to do that.”
While everyone was taking in the news, Bacot decided to have some fun. He tweeted out a picture of former Kansas star Perry Ellis, who felt like he played college basketball forever. Bacot is next up, returning for a fifth season of his own.
Bacot was named a third-team All-American by four different outlets for his play this season. While North Carolina struggled as a team, he was able to average a double-double with 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Armando Bacot returning to finish what he started at UNC
North Carolina entered the 2022-2023 season as the preseason AP poll No. 1 overall. Thanks to a run to the national championship and stars such as Bacot, Caleb Love, and RJ Davis returning, the Tar Heels were the favorite to cut down the nets with Hubert Davis.
Instead, there was nothing but inconsistency in Chapel Hill. While there were no truly bad losses, North Carolina finished with just one Quad 1 win in 10 attempts. They did not hear their name called on Selection Sunday for the first time since 2010 as a result.
Bacot will return to make sure this is not how his time at UNC is remembered. Whether or not any of his teammates from last year will return has yet to be seen. Either way, Bacot will be the leader of the group and hoping to once again find glory in the NCAA Tournament.