All signs point to North Carolina star big Armando Bacot suiting up and playing in Monday's national title game vs. Kansas.
The 22-year-old was helped off the court following an ankle injury Saturday night against Duke with roughly five minutes remaining. After sitting out momentarily, he returned to finish the game, albeit as a secondary presence.
"My status … is I'm playing," Bacot told the media Sunday. "No chance I'm not playing in the national championship game. My right leg would have to be cut off for me not to play."
Monday will mark game No. 100 for the IMG Academy product, who's started 98 of 99 contests in his UNC career.
Bacot's been stellar in the frontcourt for an undersized roster, averaging 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game this season.
The 6-foot-10 star posted 11 points and 21 boards in Saturday's win vs. Duke. He has seven straight double-doubles entering Monday.
Though the injury was enough to keep Bacot sidelined briefly Saturday, coach Hubert Davis gave no hesitation post-game on whether his center would be available for the biggest game of the season.
Hubert Davis shares his read Armando Bacot's ankle injury:
"I have a read. He'll play. I can read. He will play. Even if he just stands there, he's gonna play." 😂 pic.twitter.com/qmqmYuyK2P
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 3, 2022
No. 8 North Carolina is a four-point underdog to No. 1 Kansas, with a total of 152.
The Tar Heels have been filling pockets all tournament for bettors, covering all five games. They've been exceptional when catching points, upsetting Baylor (+5.5), UCLA (+2.5) and most recently Duke (+4.5).
UNC was priced north of +10000 to win the title before the start of the tourney.
