CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — North Carolina’s losing streak at Virginia reached eight games after the Tar Heels fought shorthanded in a 65-58 defeat Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena.
Carolina twice pulled within three in the closing minutes, each time on Caleb Love 3-pointers. But the Cavaliers (11-3, 4-2 ACC) had an answer each time.
Armando Bacot, Carolina’s leading scorer and rebounder averaging 18.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, injured his foot or ankle on the Heels’ opening offensive possession.
Bacot’s foot rolled as he came down trying to tap out a rebound and he left the game just 78 seconds after it tipped off. It was especially unfortunate for the senior from Richmond, who said on Saturday that his mother was trying to get 30 tickets for friends and family to watch him play.
The Heels (11-6, 3-3) had already prepared to play without starting forward Pete Nance, who essentially missed his third straight game with a sore back. Nance hasn’t played since the starting and playing just the first two minutes against Wake Forest.
Just like previous games this season where Bacot either played injured or was out with an injury, it didn’t go well for the Heels.
Bacot twisted an ankle in the second overtime of their loss to Alabama, attempted to return in the third before they lost in the fourth overtime. He injured a shoulder early in their loss at Indiana and was virtually helpless to defend Trayce Jackson-Davis. That same shoulder injury kept him out for the entirety of their loss at Virginia Tech.
UNC senior forward Justin McKoy, who transferred from UVA in 2021, was coach Hubert Davis’ first choice to replace Bacot. McKoy was heartily booed by the Cavaliers student section every time he entered the game.
But it was freshman forward Jalen Washington who came in and played like the heir apparent.
Washington missed the first nine games of the season while rehabilitating a right knee injury he suffered in high school. The freshman from Gary, Ind., had never played more than six minutes and his season-high scoring was just six points against The Citadel.
He was clearly the best player on the floor for stretches, scoring 12 points in the first half in just 11 minutes of play. Washington helped Carolina go from a 10-3 deficit to a 24-15 lead.
Washington scored just one point in the second half, though, and the lack of an inside presence hurt the Heels offensively.
