Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions in Maui Invitational final vs. UNC

3) Texas basketball bold predictions vs. UNC

Armando Bacot and Jericho Sims go for double-doubles

One of the frontcourt matchups that will be potentially important to watch on the afternoon of Dec. 2 will be UNC’s sophomore star big man Armando Bacot taking on senior Texas standout center Jericho Sims. The 6-foot-10 and 235 pound Bacot is off to a solid start this season for the Tar Heels, and he averaged nearly a double-double per game last year.

Through three games played this season with the Tar Heels (all of which he started in), Bacot averaged 11.3 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, no steals, and 1.0 blocks. And he’s shot a whopping 85.7 percent from the field, has not attempts from beyond the arc, and shot 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Despite the solid per game averages for Bacot so far this season, he’s yet to amass a single double-double. That might all change against the Longhorns in the Championship Round of the Maui Invitational.

A force that could counter the impact of Bacot down low for the Longhorns is Sims. If those two are matched up on each other in this game, Sims needs to stay out of foul trouble. But if Sims is able to stay out of foul trouble, then this is a great opportunity for him to find his true breakout game. Sims wasn’t at his best through the first three games of this season.

Through three games played this season with the Longhorns (all of which he started in), Sims averaged 8.0 points per game, 7.7 rebounds, no assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks.