UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot in starting lineup at Louisville despite ankle injury
Armando Bacot, North Carolina basketball’s leading scorer and rebounder, will be in the starting lineup at Louisville despite a sprained left ankle.
Bacot had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first 14 minutes against the Cardinals.
Bacot rolled his ankle 1:18 into the Tar Heels’ loss at Virginia on Tuesday and did not return. Freshman forward Jalen Washington picked up most of Bacot’s minutes, logging 13 points and six rebounds.
X-rays on Bacot’s ankle came back negative. A shoulder injury at Indiana caused Bacot to miss UNC’s loss at Virginia Tech. He also battled through a right ankle injury at the Final Four last season.
Bacot is averaging 17.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. The two-time ACC Player of the Week had scored 20 or more points in the five straight games going into UNC’s matchup at Virginia.
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While Bacot attempts to get back on the court, UNC (11-6, 3-3 ACC) is expected to be without Pete Nance against the Cardinals (2-15, 0-6) for a third straight game. Nance has been sidelined with a strained back.
The 6-foot-11 forward is averaging 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. With Nance out, freshman guard Seth Trimble was in the starting lineup against Notre Dame and Virginia. Puff Johnson is in the startling lineup against Louisville.
On Friday afternoon, UNC coach Hubert Davis told reporters Bacot is “further along” in his recovery than Nance.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot starts at Louisville despite injury
