North Carolina has a new rebounding king.
Armando Bacot passed Tyler Hansbrough for the school record when he hooked a board with 6:54 to play in an 80-69 win over NC State on Saturday night. Play was stopped and Hansbrough joined Bacot on the court for a brief photo op to honor the great big man.
Bacot finished with 18 rebounds on the day, needing nearly all of them to bring her career total to 1,221 and surpass Hansbrough’s mark of 1,219. Bacot has averaged 10 rebounds per game in his career, compared to Hansbrough’s career average of 8.6. Of UNC’s top 10 all-time rebounders, only Billy Cunningham (15.4) has a better average per game.
Bacot also scored 23 points Saturday, giving him his 61st career double-double. That’s also a school record, breaking a tie he had shared with Cunningham.
North Carolina (14-6) has won three straight, with Bacot producing double-doubles with at least 16 rebounds in each.
“Every day in practice, in shooting, in games, you know he’s going to give his best on both ends of the floor for himself, for the team, for this program,” said the coach of the ‘UNC Hubert Davis, according to The Fayetteville Observer. “For him to pass Tyler Hansbrough and Billy Cunningham … that’s amazing. He’s a great player. He’s one of the best players in Carolina history. I’m very, very proud of him.”
Here are UNC’s all-time top 10 rebounds:
- Armando Bacot (2019-present): 1,221
- Tyler Hansbrough (2005-2009): 1,219
- Sam Perkins (1980-1984): 1,167
- George Lynch (1989-1993): 1,097
- Billy Cunningham (1962-1965): 1,062
- Kennedy Meeks (2013-2017): 1,052
- Brice Johnson (2012-2016): 1,035
- Antawn Jamison (1995-1998): 1,027
- Mitch Kupchak (1972-1976): 1,006
- Brad Daugherty (1982-1986): 1,003
Bacot is one of only two UNC players in the last 50 years to average a career double-double, the other being Sean May. Last season, he became the first player in NCAA history to record six double-doubles in an NCAA tournament game as the Tar Heels advanced to the championship game.
“He’s a striker,” Hansbrough told The Athletic. “Armando has greatly improved his strength over the years and his ability to make contact. From his freshman year to now, how he handles physicality and contact is night and day.”
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