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NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Kansas among teams with 2022-23 NPOY favorites

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 7, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama forward Brandon Miller (24) goes for a dunk against Kentucky at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Kentucky 78-52.Ncaa Basketball Alabama Crimson Tide Vs Kentucky Wildcats
Jan 7, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama forward Brandon Miller (24) goes for a dunk against Kentucky at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Kentucky 78-52.Ncaa Basketball Alabama Crimson Tide Vs Kentucky Wildcats /
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ACC Basketball
NCAA Basketball North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Armando Bacot – North Carolina Tar Heels

2022-23 stats: 17.8 ppg and 11.5 rpg

If there’s anything that will hurt Bacot’s award chances in both the ACC and NCAA Basketball at the end of the postseason, it’ll be the preseason expectations. The Tar Heels were the preseason No. 1 team in NCAA Basketball and currently are outside the top 25 rankings and are in a four-way tie for 3rd place in the conference standings.

But UNC isn’t too far back where the senior big man’s numbers won’t get some proper recognition. Excluding the Virginia game, where he was limited to just one minute before suffering an ankle injury, Bacot has been in double figures in every single game, while also having 12 double-doubles in 17 full games. He’s now the all-time leader in both double-doubles and rebounds in program history, passing legend forward Tyler Hansborough.

In the past three games alone, Bacot has pulled down a whopping 16+ rebounds. Against Boston College, he had 20 points and 16 rebounds. And in a recent home win over rival NC State, Bacot went for 23 points and 18 rebounds, six of which came from the offensive end.

With the guards at times being inefficient from the field, North Carolina needs Bacot to continue having big games. If the team can continue building on its three-game win streak and make a run at the ACC title, look for the big man to all but guarantee a conference Player of the Year award.

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