March Madness 2024: Charlotte Region Awards, Takeaways, & Lookahead

Chalk ruled supreme in the Charlotte region of March Madness with (1) North Carolina (West) and (2) Tennessee (Midwest).

The Charlotte Region was, for the most part, devoid of drama, with the top-seeded Tar Heels and 2nd-seeded Volunteers defeating their upset-minded opponents. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad took down Mississippi State in the first round, while Texas’s veteran core slowed down Colorado State as well, but both the Spartans and Longhorns could not knock off the favorites in North Carolina in the first weekend at the Spectrum Center.

Charlotte Region Most Outstanding Player

Armando Bacot, North Carolina

This award very well could have ended up in Dalton Knecht’s hands, but Bacot is certainly worthy of this hardware. The super-senior from Richmond had a huge game against Wagner, scoring 20 points to go along with 15 rebounds against the 16-seeded Seahawks. Against Michigan State, he was part of a group effort to take back the lead after the Spartans opened up a double-digit margin in the first half, ending the night with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. If North Carolina is going to make their second trip to the Final Four in three years, Bacot will be the reason why. 

Charlotte Region First Team

• G: RJ Davis, North Carolina – 2 GP (21.0 PPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 RPG)
• G: Tyson Walker, Michigan State – 2 GP (21.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 2.5 SPG)
• G: Dalton Knecht, Tennessee – 2 GP (20.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 APG)
• F: Jonas Aidoo, Tennessee – 2 GP (13.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.5 BPG)
• C: Armando Bacot, North Carolina – 2 GP (19.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 BPG)

3 Takeaways

#1: The rumors of Rick Barnes’ March Madness demise were greatly exaggerated 

A lot of talk coming into the tournament, at least on the side of Tennessee, was that Rick Barnes couldn’t get it done in March Madness when it mattered most. After all, his team hasn’t made the Elite Eight since A.J. and D.J. were making defenders look silly in Austin. But he’s 2/3rds of the way there already after wins over Saint Peter’s and Texas. All that stands in the way of another trip to the Elite Eight is Creighton. (Though there’s no denying that’s going to be a tough matchup.)

Tennessee isn’t the best team in the country right now. That title resides in Storrs until someone beats the Huskies. This isn’t even Rick Barnes’s best team in Knoxville. But they’ve got the right pieces to continue their run, and that’s all that matters over the next two weeks. Mr. Barnes has a fantastic opportunity to silence the doubters. 

#2: North Carolina is what they should have been last year

We know the story of last year’s Tar Heel team, how they started the year ranked first in the nation but failed to even reach the NCAA tournament and spurned an invitation to the NIT. For whatever the reasons were, from lack of chemistry in the locker room to a failure to properly replace Brady Manek, they’re gone now. Hubert Davis righted the ship, bringing in Harrison Ingram from Stanford and Cormac Ryan from Notre Dame, while RJ Davis and Armando Bacot provided a steady presence in their 4th and 5th years with the program, respectively. 

This is who the media thought was going to be patrolling March Madness last year. Even if it’s a year behind schedule, Tar Heel fans have to be satisfied with where this team is right now, and they have a good chance to make another Final Four this year. 

#3: Max Abmas’ career needs some further recognition

Surely the masses remember the magical run of Oral Roberts in the 2021 edition of March Madness, but Abmas’s collegiate career, now out of eligibility after a year at Texas, deserves another look back. The 6’ guard from Rockwall, Texas started all 157 games he appeared in in his five-year career, and currently stands at 8th-all time in the NCAA career scoring list on the men’s side. 

Despite making the jump to Texas from the Summit League, Abmas did not experience a large statistical dropoff, averaging 16.8 PPG and 4.1 APG this year. All of his last four seasons saw a FT% of 85% or higher, and not once did his 3PT% drop below 36% in any of his five seasons playing college basketball. Abmas ends his career as one of just five players on the men’s side to ever hit 500 three-pointers, joining Antoine Davis, Darius McGhee, Fletcher Magee, and Travis Bader. All the best to the guard as he hopefully carves out a solid professional career. 

Lookahead for North Carolina

The Tar Heels are sitting pretty in terms of a possible Elite Eight run. They’ll meet Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen, a team with a potent offense, sure, but a suspect defense. North Carolina should and will be favored in that game, but the potential of facing Arizona in the Elite Eight could be tough. It’s not the toughest road a team could face, (not having to face UConn or Purdue until the Final Four/championship is fantastic) but winning a region is always going to be a tall task. Out of the four teams remaining in the West region, UNC and Arizona certainly have the best chance of making it out, and it might not be smart to bet against Hubert Davis coming back to the Final Four. 

Lookahead for Tennessee

The good news for Tennessee is that they have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. The bad news is that they’re going to play probably the best 3-seed in Creighton, followed by either red-hot Purdue or red-hot Gonzaga. This would be arguably Rick Barnes’s biggest coaching success of his career if the Vols were able to make the Final Four, and if they end up playing in the national championship? Ink Rick to a lifetime contract, then ask Kentucky and Auburn fans about the merits of a lifetime contract.