Armando Bacot is Tar Heels' new all-time rebounding king

Updated Jan 22, 2023 2:34 pm EST

North Carolina has a new rebounding king.

Armando Bacot passed Tyler Hansbrough for the school record when he snagged a board with 6:54 to play in an 80-69 victory over NC State on Saturday night. Play was stopped, and Hansbrough joined Bacot on court for a brief photo op to honor the senior big man.

Bacot finished with 18 rebounds on the day, and he needed just about all of them to push his 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 per-game average.

Bacot also scored 23 points on Saturday, giving him his 61st career double-double. That is also a school record, breaking a tie he had shared with Cunningham.

North Carolina (14-6) has won three straight games, with Bacot producing a double-double with at least 16 rebounds in each.

"Every day at practice, shootaround, games, you know that he's gonna give his best on both ends of the floor for himself, for the team, for this program," UNC coach Hubert Davis said, according to The Fayetteville Observer. "For him to pass Tyler Hansbrough and Billy Cunningham ... that's just unbelievable. He's a fantastic player. He's one of the best players in Carolina history. I'm just really, really proud of him."

Here are UNC's all-time top-10 in rebounding:

  • 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 two UNC players in the last 50 years to average a double-double for his career, with the other being Sean May. Last season, he became the first player in NCAA history to record six double-doubles in an NCAA Tournament as the Tar Heels advanced to the championship game.

"He’s an attacker," Hansbrough told The Athletic. "Armando has really improved in his strength over the years and being able to take contact. From his freshman year to now, how he handles physicality and contact is night and day."

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