CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The last words North Carolina forward Armando Bacot said to coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday as he hobbled off the court after rolling his left ankle early in a 65-58 loss at Virginia, was that he’d make a quick return to the lineup.
“I just need to tie my shoe and I’ll be back out there,” Davis recalled Bacot saying.
Bacot did not return, and there is no word on how soon he’ll be able to get back into the lineup after leaving John Paul Jones Arena on crutches and wearing a compression sleeve covering his swollen ankle.
It’s not the same ankle he tweaked in the Tar Heels’ quadruple overtime loss to Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational in November. That was his right ankle, which he also injured late in their Final Four win over Duke last season that left him with limited mobility and lift in the title game against Kansas.
Bacot, who is leading the team in both scoring (17.6.) and rebounding (10..6) for a second straight season, has been durable throughout his career. Of the 118 games Carolina has played the past four years, he’s played in 116 of them, and one of the two he missed was UNC’s loss at Virginia Tech last month with a shoulder injury he suffered in the first half against Indiana.
As a freshman, he injured his left ankle on a similar rebound and putback against Ohio State on Dec. 4, 2019. Then-coach Roy Williams thought that by the look of Bacot’s swollen ankle that he’d be out for a while. But Bacot started and played 25 minutes in their very next game at Virginia on Dec. 8, 2019.
That he didn’t return Tuesday was the first indication to Davis that this injury could be serious.
“I know that he’s really in a lot of pain because of those situations throughout his career, he usually gets back out there,” Davis said.
What’s next for UNC?
Carolina must prepare for the possibility of playing without Bacot. In the short term, the ACC schedule is a bit favorable: The Heels play at last place Louisville on Saturday before returning home to face Boston College next Tuesday.
But if Bacot has a prolonged absence, things could get tricky, with games against N.C. State, at Syracuse, Pitt and at Duke on the horizon.
The Heels made up for not having starting forward Pete Nance in the lineup for the better part of the past three games. They played with a smaller lineup, with Leaky Black or Puff Johnson having to play the 4.
Nance suffered a back injury against Pitt and, after playing the opening two minutes against Wake Forest, has been sidelined completely the past two games. Nance is fourth on the team with 10.9 points per game and tied for second with 6.1 rebounds per game.
Not having Bacot is a much bigger challenge to overcome.
Freshman Jalen Washington’s first-half performance filling in for Bacot against Virginia is reason for optimism. He scored 12 points in 11 minutes against a Cavaliers defense that is difficult for veterans to face. He did it having played just 20 minutes all season before Tuesday.
“He was really poised for a freshman, especially playing against a really good, active, defensive team in Virginia for the first time,” Nance said. “I thought he really played with a good, controlled pace because it’s really easy to get sped up and get excited, but I thought he did a great job.”
They’ll need to see more of it, but there is good reason to believe Washington, who finished with 13 points, can deliver.
He was considered a top 20 recruit before an ACL injury sidelined him for two seasons in high school. He missed much of his sophomore year when he initially suffered the injury and because the surgery was not properly done, he needed to have a second operation that wiped out his senior year.
Washington missed the first nine games of this season while rehabilitating his knee. Tuesday’s game felt like the official stamp that he’s ready.
“I feel like it’s definitely a testament to a lot of my hard work having to come back from two tough injuries,” Washington said.
As Carolina faces the prospect of being without Bacot, Washington might be their best option.
