Armando Bacot led North Carolina in scoring three years ago with an average of 12.3 points. RJ Davis was fifth in scoring on that team. Just a role player. But if you fast-forward to the present, to this 2023-24 season, Davis is now a clear star and leading UNC in scoring by averaging an ACC-best 21.0 points.
And Bacot is still in the program.
So this is one of those rare deals where a bit player later emerges as the program’s best player even while the program’s previous best player remains in the program. It’s been fascinating to watch unfold, never more so than Monday night when Davis took 23 shots, made 14 of them and finished with a career-high 36 points in an 85-64 victory over Wake Forest.
“I feel like I’m in my backyard — just out there hooping,” Davis said following the win that allowed the Tar Heels to remain No. 3 in Tuesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
“I think RJ opened the game up for sure,” added UNC freshman Elliot Cadeau, who is absolutely right considering 23 of Davis’ 36 points came in a second half in which the Tar Heels outscored Wake Forest 52-30 to erase a deficit and cruise to their ninth consecutive victory.
There’s still a ways to go, obviously, but Davis leading the ACC in scoring while also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists for a team that’s 16-3 and projected to win its league by multiple games has the fourth-year guard on track to join Purdue‘s Zach Edey and three others as First Team All-Americans. Davis has scored at least 13 points in all but one game so far this season. He’s also shooting a career-best 41.7% from 3-point range on 7.3 attempts per contest.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
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