Alabama basketball will face something it has struggled with all season when it plays North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen Thursday. The Tar Heels feature a dominant big man, 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward Armando Bacot.

The battle with top-seeded UNC in Los Angeles isn’t going to be an easy one. If the No. 4 Crimson Tide can’t limit Bacto inside, it could make for a long night.

“He rebounds good and he scores better around the rim,” Alabama forward Mohamed Wague told AL.com after the Crimson Tide’s Wednesday practice at Crypto.com Arena. “We’ve got to take those two away, those easy buckets, and make everything harder.”

Bacot has averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds throughout the season for the Tar Heels. He also made the ACC’s all-defensive team for the 2023-24 campaign.

Alabama struggled with elite big men all season, from Purdue’s Zach Edey to Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith. Defense has been a problem across the board for the Tide, but Bacot fits the mold of what can give UA problems.

Head coach Nate Oats stressed the need to limit Bacot on Wednesday.

“We’ve played some of these bigger guys,” Oats said. “Some we’ve guarded better than others. We will have to have a plan for Bacot.”

Alabama forward Grant Nelson will likely be a big part of that plan. Wednesday, he spoke of what he and the team have learned from facing some of the nation’s top inside presences this season.

“Those were kind of learning lessons moving into the postseason,” Nelson told AL.com. “I think we learned a lot, knowing who’s best at what between us bigs at guarding. And just knowing that when we got out, someone else could come in and make the same impact, if not a better impact on the defensive end.”

Compounding the challenge, Bacot isn’t even the top offensive threat for the Tar Heels. That honor has belonged to guard RJ Davis this season.

Davis was the ACC’s player the year. He’s averaging 21.3 points per game entering Thursday’s matchup.

His presence means the Tide won’t be able to focus all its defensive energy on Bacot.

“We gotta contain RJ Davis,” Alabama’s Aaron Estrada told AL.com. “He’s super elite at scoring the ball. Averaging about 21 a game. Three-level scorer, so I think if we just contain RJ, I think we’ll be fine.”

Alabama and North Carolina are scheduled to play at the conclusion of the Arizona-Clemson game Thursday evening in Los Angeles. The game will likely tip off around 8:40 p.m. CT and will be aired on CBS.