RJ Davis Archives

North Carolina beats Wake Forest 68-59 to advance to ACC semifinals behind RJ Davis’ 23 points

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis had 23 points and five 3-pointers, Ven-Allen Lubin added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 5 seed North Carolina beat fourth-seeded Wake Forest 68-59 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals for coach Hubert Davis’ 100th victory with the program. North Carolina (22-12), which has won eight of its last nine games, advances to play No. 1 seed Duke in the semifinals on Friday. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said it’s a “real longshot” that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play because of an ankle sprain. Wake Forest (21-11) was looking to advance to its first ACC Tournament semifinals since 2006. Hunter Sallis led Wake Forest with 25 points. Tre’Von Spillers had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Efton Reid III grabbed 10 rebounds.… Continue Reading

RJ Davis, Seth Trimble lead North Carolina to 96-85 victory over Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — RJ Davis had 20 points, Seth Trimble came off the bench to score 17 and North Carolina cruised to a 96-85 victory over Florida State. Davis made 5 of 9 shots with three 3-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws for the Tar Heels (18-11, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won four in a row to pull within a half-game of Wake Forest and SMU for fourth place. The top four teams receive byes into the third round of the conference tournament. Trimble did his damage on 6-for-10 shooting with two 3-pointers. Jamir Watkins had 26 points to lead the Seminoles (16-12, 7-10), who dropped into ninth place — a half-game behind Pittsburgh. The top nine seeds earn first-round byes.… Continue Reading

RJ Davis scores 18, hits go-ahead jumper and North Carolina hangs on to defeat Pittsburgh 67-66

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 18 points, Ven-Allen Lubin added 17, and North Carolina defeated Pittsburgh 67-66 in a back-and-forth battle. Davis hit a jumper to give North Carolina a 67-66 lead with 52 seconds left. His shot marked the 12th lead change of the second half. Pitt’s Jaland Lowe missed a jumper with 27 seconds remaining, got his own rebound and missed on the follow. Lubin got the rebound of the second shot, was fouled and missed the front end of the one-and-one. Seth Trimble got the offensive rebound for the Tar Heels, was fouled and missed the front end himself. After Pitt’s Ishmael Leggett grabbed the rebound, the Panthers called timeout with 13 seconds left. Leggett’s jumper was off the mark as time ran out.… Continue Reading

RJ Davis and Seth Trimble rescue North Carolina in 102-96 OT win over Boston College

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored seven points in overtime and Seth Trimble hit the go-ahead jumper, lifting North Carolina to a 102-96 victory over Boston College. Davis hit a 3-pointer for a 94-91 lead near the three-minute mark of the extra period and after Boston College tied it with a 3, Davis made two free throws for a two-point lead near the two-minute mark. After BC tied it again, Trimble’s jumper put the Tar Heels up 98-96 with 1:42 remaining. The Eagles did not score the rest of the way, Davis hit two free throws with 53 seconds left and Ven-Allen Lubin’s dunk with 28 seconds left punctuated the victory. Trimble scored the last four points of regulation to force overtime.… Continue Reading

Davis scores 26 points to help surging North Carolina thump SMU

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 26 points and Ian Jackson scored 18 points and North Carolina controlled SMU for an 82-67 win in a contest it never trailed. Reserve Chuck Harris scored 18 points for SMU. Powell made a 3 with 11:08 before halftime to give North Carolina its first double-digit lead at 23-13. Ven-Allen Lubin’s tip-in gave the Tar Heels a 30-19 advantage and they led by double digits the rest of the way. North Carolina led 39-24 at halftime.… Continue Reading

Ian Jackson scores career-high 26, UNC beats Campbell 97-81

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 26 points, RJ Davis added 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and North Carolina beat Campbell 97-81 in the Tar Heels’ final nonconference game of the season. Elliot Cadeau added 12 points and a career-high 12 assists, Drake Powell also scored 12 points and Jalen Washington added 10 for North Carolina (8-5). Cadeau made a jumper to spark a 15-3 run, Davis followed with a 3-pointer that gave UNC the lead for good with 16:09 left in the first half and Cadeau capped the spurt with a layup that made it 22-12 with 12:41 to go until halftime. Colby Duggan led Campbell (5-8) with a career-high 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 5 of 9 from 3-point range.… Continue Reading

RJ Davis rallies North Carolina past No. 18 UCLA 76-74 in CBS Sports Classic

NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Davis made the tying and go-ahead free throws with 13 seconds left, and North Carolina erased a 16-point deficit for a 76-74 victory over No. 18 UCLA on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. Davis scored 17 points and gave the Tar Heels (7-5) their first lead since the opening minutes. Ian Jackson scored a career-high 24 points. Seth Trimble added 12 and forced a UCLA turnover that set up the free throws by Davis as North Carolina outscored UCLA 33-15 over the final 12-plus minutes and shot 46.8%. Tyler Bilodeau tied a career high with 26 points but the Bruins (10-2) had a nine-game winning streak stopped.… Continue Reading

Cade Tyson scores 23 points and North Carolina routs La Salle 93-67

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Backup guard Cade Tyson scored a season-high 23 points and made five 3-pointers in the Tar Heels’ 93-67 victory over La Salle. Tyson shot 9-for-14 overall, including 5 for 10 on 3-pointers. He was averaging 2.7 points through UNC’s first nine games. RJ Davis scored 13 points, Seth Trimble had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Ven-Allen Lubin had 10 points for North Carolina. The Tar Heels shot 58% in the second half and 54% overall despite unimpressive 3-point shooting — 10 for 31 — and poor free-throw shooting — 11 for 23. Demetrius Lilley scored 16 points for La Salle.… Continue Reading

No. 10 Alabama beats No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 in the ACC-SEC Challenge

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 20 points, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon each had 15 points and No. 10 Alabama beat No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid each scored 11 points and Grant Nelson had 10 points to help the Crimson Tide (6-2) beat three straight Top 25 opponents for the first time in three seasons. The rematch of Alabama’s Sweet 16 victory last season wasn’t close. Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 23 points, RJ Davis had 18 and Seth Trimble added 12 points for the Tar Heels (4-4). They’ve lost three in a row.… Continue Reading

COVID-19 led to extra college eligibility. Those 5th-year players are set for their last runs

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic led to college athletes being granted an additional year of eligibility. Now the majority of those players impacted by that move are preparing for their final seasons in college basketball. The rule impacted the 2020-21 season as players competed in empty arenas and amid constant testing. Now, many are in their fifth years. The list includes five preseason Associated Press All-Americans. One is North Carolina guard RJ Davis as the lone returning AP first-team All-American from last season. Others include big man Hunter Dickinson of No. 1 Kansas and guard Mark Sears for No. 2 Alabama.… Continue Reading