Tag: RJ Davis

UNC-Duke tabbed Game of the Week by famed college basketball analyst

UNC-Duke is the college basketball game to watch this week.

No matter the year, talent on each team or how each rival is progressing throughout their respective seasons, the North Carolina–Duke basketball rivalry never fails to disappoint.

UNC swept its hated Blue Devils in 2024, en route to an ACC Regular Season Championship and appearance in the ACC Championship Game. Duke got the last laugh, advancing to the Elite 8, but the Tar Heels have bragging rights from winning both head-to-head matchups.

As the college basketball world would have it, North Carolina and Duke are playing again on Saturday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) look every bit of a National Championship contender, while UNC’s NCAA Tournament hopes are on life support.

Despite the direction of each program’s season, UNC-Duke was named college basketball analyst Andy Katz’ Game of the Week.

There’s a few other watch-worthy matchups on Katz’ Top 10 list, such as Florida–Tennessee and Kentucky-Ole Miss, but none that create the hype the Tobacco Road Rivalry can.

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Tar Heels fans almost had the opportunity to celebrate on Monday night, with NC State putting a scare into the Blue Devils, but superstar Cooper Flagg took over.

In North Carolina’s season of unpredictables, it stormed back and escaped Boston College in overtime Saturday, 102-96. RJ Davis put UNC on his back, scoring seven of his 22 points in the extra time period, while the Tar Heels generated some rare, defensive stops.

Duke hasn’t lost a game since November (I hope I’m summoning the writer’s jinx), when Kansas won, 75-72, in the Vegas Showdown.

We’re hoping North Carolina keeps Saturday’s showdown close, but don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils end things early.

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RJ Davis shows why he is THE guy for UNC basketball during OT win against Boston College

Make sure you take a moment and thank RJ Davis for today’s closer-that-expected victory.

Every team needs a closer, particularly in an intense, high-stakes sport like college basketball.

Closers are go-to stars who, when the game is on the line, can take over and lead their team to victory. Closers aren’t just in baseball – they can be in any sport.

The 2024-2025 UNC basketball team is an extremely young team, so it doesn’t have the leadership from a season ago, but UNC does have a closer: RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year.

North Carolina escaped Boston College, 102-96, during overtime Saturday in large parts to Davis’ efforts. Davis scored seven of his Tar Heels-best 22 point in overtime: a 3-pointer at the top of the 3-point line, two free throws to put UNC ahead for good, then two more to help ice the win.

Davis was also perfect in the first half, making all four of his shot and free throw attempts apiece.

“I just relied a lot on my teammates – and the coaching staff did a good job setting up plays for me to execute,” Davis said. “Just be confident with my shot and trust my work. I think I did that in overtime and second half a little bit. Everyone contributed a lot. I really didn’t have to score as much because everyone was contributing. Obviously, it was just a lot of back and forth throughout the game, but I just had in my mindset that we were going to win this game and I’m going to make some big shots in overtime.”

Expanding upon North Carolina’s additional contributions, freshman Drake Powell forced a 5-second call with UNC down 18 seconds left. Seth Trimble then made the tying jumper and, with the Tar Heels leading by four later in overtime, Ven-Allen Lubin sealed the afternoon with a block-and-dunk sequence.

“Before overtime, I think Drake was huge for us,” RJ said. “We wouldn’t be in that position, going into overtime, if it wasn’t for him getting the defensive stop, forcing them into a 5-second call on the baseline. I think Seth was tremendous with attacking the rim, Ven with a huge-time block, Elliot with a nice pass to me to hit the top of the three. I could go down the line, but I think everyone just contributed well and made some big-time plays, so we were able to come out with the win.”

RJ Davis has played hero for UNC so many times in the past. He did once again on Saturday afternoon – and helped North Carolina avoid its most embarrassing loss of the season.

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RJ Davis takes over in overtime, helps UNC escape near-embarrassing loss

Saturday’s win in Chapel Hill was much closer than it needed to be. Luckily, UNC has RJ Davis.

Every basketball team needs a closer to win in clutch time. Luckily for UNC, that guy is reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis.

With North Carolina and Boston College deadlocked at 91 apiece in overtime, Davis hit a 3-pointer that blew the roof off the Dean Dome. A minute later, after Donald Hand Jr. countered with a perimeter make of his own, Davis drained a pair of free throws that gave UNC the lead for good.

Davis then added two more free throws, dribbled the clock out and the Tar Heels won, 102-96, against an Eagles squad still searching for their first ACC road victory.

Davis anchored North Carolina’s scoring attack with 22 points, seven of which came in overtime. Davis hit a couple free throws, drained a clutch 3-pointer, called a crucial timeout after Boston College missed a rare 3-pointer of its own, then iced the game with two more free throws.

North Carolina (13-8, 6-3 ACC) withstood a lights-out perimeter shooting performance from Boston College (9-11, 1-8), which show an unconscious 14-of-24 from deep. There was a stretch in the second half where, if the Eagles got the ball beyond the 3-point line, they were pretty much automatic.

UNC wasn’t nearly as efficient from deep, but efficient enough, making six of 16 3-point attempts. Davis and Ian Jackson, who finished with 19 points, each made two shots from deep.

The Tar Heels and Eagles both shot well from the field overall: North Carolina was 55.6 percent, while Boston College was 54.5%. UNC found a ton of success from driving the paint, outscoring Boston College 58-42.

Jackson needed to break out Saturday in the worst way, as he shot just 4-of-19 between losses to Wake Forest and Stanford. Jackson finished the Boston College game with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Seth Trimble provided some much-needed help in the scoring column, adding 18 points. Trimble also picked up his first double-double of the season, adding 12 rebounds.

Elliot Cadeau continued his offensive ascension, scoring 13 points for his fourth-straight game in double-digits. Jalen Washington continued showcasing why he deserves to be North Carolina’s starting center, pouring in 18 points despite coming off the bench Saturday.

The Tar Heels nearly suffered an embarrassing loss – one which would have questioned the program’s direction. UNC still has plenty of issues to fix, but it needed Saturday’s win in the worst way.

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Former UNC basketball players reveal what 2024-25 team is missing

Here is what some former players believe is missing from the UNC basketball program.

The North Carolina Tar Heels find themselves on the bubble here as January wraps up and a tough finish to their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule still awaits. While UNC has had a really tough non-conference schedule, they are struggling in conference play as well.

UNC’s struggles have been too familiar, popping up in each game this season. And some former players may have the answer as to why the Tar Heels are struggling.

On the latest episode of the “Run Your Race” podcast, host Theo Pinson talked to former Tar Heels Justin Jackson and Raymond Felton. They discussed this year’s team and the lack of a leader on it.

“I think that’s the biggest thing missing,” Pinson said. “I think RJ [Davis] took a step forward the last game because he guarded the best player. That was a leadership type showing my example.”

Felton chimed in and said that it was not enough still and that someone like Davis needs to be more vocal.

“But he still has to be a leader by voice. He has too. For him to take as many shots as he do, for him to have the ball in his hands as much as he do, he has to lead by mouth, not just by example,” Felton said. “Somebody has to go into that locker room sometime and not let Coach Davis say a word. Just get in there and say what you have to say. That’s it. Plain and simple.”

He finished his point off by mentioning how the teams he played on had more than one vocal leader, listing Jawad Williams and Melvin Scott. Pinson mentioned a story about Jackson being a vocal leader, using the Final Four game against Oregon as a great example.

They are right. It feels like this team really doesn’t have a leader right now and it’s what could be missing. There is still some time to regroup and get things together but UNC needs to stack some wins in a hurry.

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Star Tar Heels’ guard makes Jerry West midseason watch list

This preseason All-American is now on the Jerry West midseason award watch list!

Going into the season, UNC basketball guard RJ Davis was on every list you could think of. He was a preseason All-American, a preseason ACC Player of the Year candidate as well as an All-ACC first-team projection.

His season has not lived up to the hype that it was last year when the senior guard was averaging 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

He was a first-team All-American on Sports Nation, Associated Press, NABC, and USBWA.

However, this season, his role has changed. Although he is not putting up numbers reminiscent of the 21 points per game and 40% efficiency from behind the arc, Davis is still standing out in more ways than one.

Because of that, Davis has been named to the Jerry West Award midseason watchlist. The Jerry West Award is handed out by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the best shooting guard in college basketball.

This season, Davis is averaging 18.2 points per game along with an increased 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. With Ian Jackson and Elliot Cadeau’s role increasing, Davis has been as much a facilitator as scorer.

Joining Davis on the watchlist include Arizona’s Caleb Love, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Ole Miss’s Matthew Murrell, Kansas’s Zeke Mayo, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Houston’s LJ Cryer, and Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis, among other top shooting guards in the country.

Time will tell how RJ Davis will progress even further this season. The next time he will take the court will be Saturday against in-state rival NC State.

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UNC dominates SMU in ACC basketball tilt behind strong first half

UNC outplayed SMU in virtually every aspect during a big ACC basketball win Tuesday night.

Throughout their college basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have largely struggled to do two things: play solid defense and good basketball in the first half.

On Tuesday night against SMU in a late-night ACC basketball batle, UNC turned in its best defensive performance of the year and – for the second-consecutive game – trotted into halftime with a lead.

North Carolina outscored SMU by 15 in the first half, never trailing en route to an impressive, 82-67 win.

It became apparent pretty quickly that the Tar Heels (10-6, 3-1 ACC), who struggle to find a defensive identity from game-to-game, were going to decide tonight’s outcome with their defense.

UNC limited the visiting Mustangs (11-4, 2-2) to a 33.3 percent (23-of-69) mark from the field. SMU missed plenty of looks from deep in the paint – and North Carolina prevented second-chance points by boxing out. Ven-Allen Lubin and Jalen Washington won their battles against the 7’2″ Samet Yigitoglu. The Mustangs fared even worse from deep, shooting just 22.2% against a Tar Heels lineup that returned Seth Trimble.

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UNC continued shooting the ball well, recording a 47.4 field goal percentage as a team. Most surprising about North Carolina’s win, perhaps, was its ability to make 50 percent (11-of-11) of its 3-pointers .

RJ Davis led all scorers with 26 points, his third 20-point outing in six games. Drake Powell, known more for his defense, started the Tar Heel scoring party with a 14-point first half.

UNC still has a long way to go in proving itself as an ACC contender, but Tuesday’s result was the outcome we yearned for all season. North Carolina has all the pieces to play a winning brand of basketball – and beating SMU comfortably goes a long way towards proving that.

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RJ Davis moves up UNC basketball all-time scoring list … again

RJ Davis rises up the scoring ladder again with just one person left to pass.

After an 8-6 start to the season for North Carolina and a 7-5 finish in their non-conference schedule, the Tar Heels turned their attention today to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the next opponent at the start of their ACC schedule.

It was roughly eight minutes into the game before preseason All-American guard RJ Davis took his first shot — a pull-up from mid-range on a fast break.  The basket was good giving him two points in the game and 2,347 points all-time as a member of the University of North Carolina.

It wasn’t until the 19:33 mark in the second half that Davis would score again on a jumper, officially passing his long-time teammate and friend Armando Bacot for the No. 2 spot on the all-time scoring list for the historic North Carolina basketball.

RJ Davis and Armando Bacot became great friends over the four years the two players shared on the court together. Bacot finished his career as one of the best rebounders in the program’s history and No. 2 to Tyler Hansbrough  2,872 points that he scored from 2005-2009.

Davis now sits 523 points behind Hansbrough with a little over half of this season remaining. This season, Davis is averaging 18.4 points per game. Pair that with the team’s 17 remaining games, and that would be 312 points.

It remains to be seen if Davis can get hot and catch Hansbrough down the stretch, but what doesn’t remain uncertain is that Davis has cemented himself in Tar Heel history, forever.

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Ian Jackson leads efficient, balanced scoring attack as UNC basketball dominates Campbell

North Carolina dominated Campbell Sunday in one final non-conference basketball tune-up.

The North Carolina Tar Heels welcomed Campbell University to the Dean Dome on Sunday night for one final, non-conference tilt as both teams closed out their 2024 portions of the college basketball season.

While UNC and Campbell traded punches early, as I predicted before the matchup, it didn’t take North Carolina long to pull ahead and dominate the Camels.

After leading Campbell by just 11 points at halftime, the Tar Heels exploded for 57 second-half points in a 97-81 domination.

UNC (8-5, 1-0 ACC) finally got the balanced scoring attack it long searched for on Sunday night, with all five starters scoring in double-figures and 10 players scoring overall.

Ian Jackson (26) and RJ Davis (23) both reached the 20-point plateau, Elliot Cadeau and Drake Powell each finished with 12 points and Jalen Washington enjoyed his most productive outing of December, scoring 10 points.

During the Tar Heels’ victory, Davis made history by becoming their program leader in 3-pointers, draining his 300th to surpass current assistant coach Marcus Paige. Davis made five shots from deep, ending his night with 303 career makes.

North Carolina shot 57.1 percent as a team, with a 35.7& mark from deep. Jackson led UNC by shooting 56.3% (9-of-16), which included a 3-of-8 mark from deep.

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The Tar Heels’ defense wasn’t great, but it didn’t need to be with its most efficient offensive performance of the year. Starting guard Seth Trimble was announced out just moments before tip-off – and if you know Trimble, he is North Carolina’s best defender.

UNC now turns its focus to Louisville on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off. The Cardinals (8-5, 1-1 ACC) are much-improved from the Kenny Payne era, so expect the Tar Heels to be challenged.

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RJ Davis sets new UNC basketball three-point record

RJ Davis is now the UNC basketball 3-point king.

The North Carolina Tar Heels entered Sunday’s non-conference basketball finale against Campbell with one goal in the back of their minds: build some needed momentum heading into ACC play.

Sunday proved to be much more than that, particularly for star UNC guard RJ Davis.

During the first half, Davis drained his 300th 3-pointer to become North Carolina’s all-time record holder. Davis passed one of his current assistant coaches, Marcus Paige, for the honor.

Davis does seem like he’s finally starting to discover his shooting touch, as he entered tonight’s game with a 40 percent field goal percentage in consecutive games. Davis ended the first half against Campbell shooting 4-of-7 overall, with a scorching 3-of-6 mark from deep.

Making perimeter shots has been a struggle this season for Davis, the ACC reigning Player of the Year and ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Davis shot just 2-of-7 from deep in the Tar Heels’ upset win over UCLA, plus 3-of-11 in a Jumpman Invitational loss to Florida.

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Before Davis, there was Paige, another 3-point magician who played at UNC from 2012-2016.

Paige was seemingly the only former Tar Heel who could consistently make perimeter shots during those years, with his biggest make coming against Villanova in the 2016 National Championship game. Paige then played for two seasons between the NBA G-League and the NBA, spent time in international basketball and – now – is a North Carolina assistant coach.

Davis’s next milestone will be surpassing longtime teammate, Armando Bacot, for second on UNC’s all-time scoring list.

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Guard play propels UNC to first ranked win of the season

Ian Jackson and RJ Davis explode in the Tar Heels’ win over No. 18 UCLA!

There is no denying that the win on Saturday night can be largely credited to two of North Carolina’s guards, RJ Davis and Ian Jackson.

Together, they combined for 41 points as Jackson led the way with 24 points, and Davis chipped in another 17 points. Jackson also had four rebounds as did Davis with two assists. Trimble was the only other player in double figures with 12 points.

After the game, Jackson reiterated, via Inside Carolina, how hard it is to beat AP Top 25 teams, teams which they are now just 2-5 against.

There’s been several games where we’ve been close and kind of didn’t finish it. And it was just one of those games where we got it done. It showed us how hard winning is, definitely how hard winning is at every level, especially at this level. So to come out here and get that final stop and end the game on a stop, it was big for us.

When it came down to it, though, Davis gave the credit for the win to another guard, Seth Trimble.

I shouldn’t have missed the first free throw. I wouldn’t have got to the second free throw (attempts) if Seth didn’t get that stop in the diamond press. That’s the reason why he won the game. He was able to deflect the ball off of the guard’s leg, and we were able to get another chance.

North Carolina will look to a long week break over Christmas as they match up with Campbell next Sunday, December 29th.

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