Armando Bacot injured, UNC basketball loses at Virginia

North Carolina basketball’s road struggles continued in a 65-58 loss at No. 13 Virginia on Tuesday night.

The Tar Heels (11-6, 3-3 ACC) lost Armando Bacot to an injury in the opening minutes and fell to 0-4 in road games this season. The Cavaliers (12-3, 4-2) have won eight in a row against UNC in Charlottesville.

It’s unclear how long Bacot will be sidelined. Carolina travels to Louisville on Saturday before returning to the Smith Center on Jan. 17 to play Boston College.

“I know he’s hurting pretty bad,” UNC coach Hubert Davis told reporters in Charlottesville.

“I didn’t see the play; I just saw him on the ground, and he was in a lot of pain. I know that he’s really in a lot of pain, because in those situations throughout his career, he usually gets back out there on the floor. I’ll talk with Doug Halverson, our trainer, and see how serious it is.”

RJ Davis (16 points) and Caleb Love (13 points) combined for 29 points on 10 of 25 shooting and eight turnovers. Love, who had five assists in the first half, missed seven of his first eight shots and finished 4 of 13 from the floor.

UNC missed 16 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc and Jalen Washington (13 points) was the only other Tar Heel to log double figures.

Boasting the ACC’s stingiest defense, Virginia held UNC to its lowest point total of the season. The Cavaliers had eight blocks, nine steals and 19 points off 10 UNC turnovers.

It was Carolina’s worst scoring performance since losing 85-57 at Miami last season.

Here are some takeaways from the Tar Heels’ loss at Virginia.

Armando Bacot leaves with injury

The Tar Heels were dealt a devastating blow out of the gate when double-double machine Armando Bacot left the game with an ankle injury.

At the 18:42 mark of the first half, Bacot appeared to roll his left ankle. He left the game and didn’t return.

INJURY REPORT:UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot leaves game with ankle injury against Virginia

Bacot, the ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder at 18.8 points and 11.2 boards per game, sat on the bench wearing a team sweatsuit in the second half. Justin McKoy and Jalen Washington picked up most of Bacot’s minutes off the bench.

Story continues

In addition to Bacot, Pete Nance missed another game as he continues to deal with a sore back.

Virginia’s second-half surge 

The Cavaliers used a 17-2 run over a four-minute stretch to take command in the second half.

Ben Vander Plas scored 12 points in the first 10 minutes to spark Virginia’s second-half surge. UNC trimmed the lead to three points with just under three minutes remaining, but Issac McNeely drained a 3-pointer to push the lead back to two possessions and Virginia closed the door.

“(Vander Plas) played really well in the second half. I really felt like the thing that really hurt us was 1-on-1 dribble drives to the basket,” Hubert Davis said.

“I know (Vander Plas) played extremely well and he played a huge part in them being successful in the second half, but I thought our inability to win our 1-on-1 matchups and be able to guard our guy – and stop them from straight-line drives to the basket – I think that hurt us the most.”

McNeely (11 points) Vander Plas (17 points), Reece Beekman (13 points) and Armaan Franklin (12 points) combined for 53 points to lead Virginia, which had a 38-29 advantage in the second half.

Jalen Washington impresses

Rocking a white Jordan brand headband, Jalen Washington rose to the challenge with an impressive first half after Bacot’s injury.

Washington had 12 points, making five of his seven shots, and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes to help UNC take a 29-27 halftime lead. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.

“I thought he played fantastic,” Hubert Davis said. “To be a freshman, to be on the road, to get extended minutes, I was very pleased with him and very proud of him.”

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound freshman missed his senior season with a knee injury. After a 17-month recovery, Washington made his debut in the Tar Heels’ 75-59 win against Georgia Tech on Dec. 10.

He entered Tuesday’s game averaging 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.

Up next 

UNC continues its road swing with a trip to Louisville (2-14, 0-5 ACC) on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN).

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 loses at Virginia as Armando Bacot leaves with injury

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