CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Toughness defined the Tar Heels run to the NCAA championship game.
North Carolina entered the field as a No. 8 seed, the lowest in program history.
But the Tar Heels battled and fought to the Final Four, the final game and the final whistle, before ultimately losing, 72-69 to Kansas.
In the title game, UNC players Brady Manek, Caleb Love and Puff Johnson all briefly went down to the floor with one injury or another. But each got back up and finished the game.
The Tar Heels' toughness, though, was epitomized by Armando Bacot.
The big man gutted out the previous game, a win over rival Duke, despite turning an ankle.
He nearly played the entire championship game, if not for another rolled ankle that left him hobbled, and took him out for good in the final minute.
"I couldn't really put any weight down on my right leg," Bacot said. "Right then and there I probably knew I was done at that point."
The 6-10 forward from Richmond, Virginia, was again dominant on the boards, collecting 15 rebounds, to go along with 15 points.
Twelve of those points and ten of those rebounds came in the first half when Carolina built a commanding 15-point lead.
Bacot is the only player in history to have six double-doubles in a single NCAA Tournament. It was also his 31st double-double of the season, tying David Robinson's NCAA record.
For Bacot, getting to the championship game finally gave him a taste of what he expected to experience in Carolina blue.
In his freshman year, the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, but the Tar Heels were only 14-19, and certainly would not have been selected.
His sophomore year they lost in the first round.
"His decision to come to North Carolina was to be a part of the great history of this program and I really wanted that for him," coach Hubert Davis said. "It's not just his effort tonight. The effort tonight that he displayed, he's done it all year consistently, and that's why he's one of the better players in the country."
Bacot is a junior and could be drafted this summer, but many think he'll return for one more season in Chapel Hill.