Mike Krzyzewski managed to share a nice message to Armando Bacot despite Duke’s disappointing ending on Saturday.
Bacot got injured with just over five minutes left in the close Final Four game between North Carolina and Duke. Bacot is UNC’s leading scorer (16.3 points per game) and rebounder (13.1 rebounds per game), and also averages 1.7 blocks per contest. But he hurt his right ankle and had to be helped off the floor, leaving it to his teammates to finish the job.
That they did.
North Carolina beat Duke 81-77, ending Coach K’s coaching career. Despite the disappointment, Coach K approached Bacot after the game.
“I hope you’re OK,” Coach K said to Bacot.
“You were my player of the year,” the Duke coach generously added.
https://twitter.com/wmgalliher/status/1510614652870447105
That’s a nice thing of Coach K to say, and shows some class and sportsmanship.
As for Bacot, he said on Sunday that he will be playing in Monday’s national championship game against Kansas.
"My status for tomorrow is that I'm playing. No chance I don't play in the National Championship Game. My right leg would have to be cut off for me not to play." @UNC_Basketball's Armando Bacot gives us an update on his ankle he injured in last night's win over Duke. @WFMY pic.twitter.com/I12lKO2brW
— Brian Hall (@bhallwfmy) April 3, 2022
Kansas is looking to win its fourth national championship. North Carolina is hoping to capture number seven. And Coach K’s Duke career ends with five national championships for the Blue Devils, as they lost in this year’s tournament before they were hoping to.
