‘We never doubt him’: RJ Davis records 18 points, steadies UNC men’s basketball against Pitt

RJ Davis prayed. 

Just like he does before every tipoff, when he kneels at the ACC logo in front of the free throw line then peels back the tape on his wrist to kiss the tattoo for his late grandmother, Dottie, on his pulse point. 

With the ball in his hands, the graduate guard prayed once more. There was less than a minute to go. Pittsburgh led 66-65.

He couldn’t break free for a three, so he drove to the same spot as his pregame ritual. He stepped back. He pulled up and released. The ball swished through the net. He pranced down the court, beating his fist to his chest. 

“This is the opportunity I’m never going to get back again,” Davis said. “I want to reel it all in and understand this is my last year playing basketball at UNC.” 

It was his final jumper that ultimately won it for the Tar Heels. North Carolina held on to defeat Pitt, 67-66, on Saturday afternoon in the Dean E. Smith Center, marking UNC’s 10th one-possession game — the most in any season in the three-point era. Even with the prayers for good fortune, the graduate guard proved to be a steady hand for UNC, leading the team in scoring with 18 points. 

“I think at this point, we just like nail-biters,” Davis said. 

In his last season with North Carolina, the preseason First-Team All-American hasn’t had it easy. It hasn’t been a fairytale. 

It’s been well-documented that he’s averaging less points per game and he’s not shooting as efficiently compared to the 2023-24 campaign that earned him ACC Player of the Year honors. He’s been open about the mental adjustments his shooting struggles have forced him to make. 

But he holds that he’s never lost confidence. He doesn’t shy away from shooting — that’s a lesson he’s learned in the last four years as a Tar Heel. 

“I know I’ve struggled throughout the whole year,” he said. “But one thing about me is [I’m] staying in the moment, staying poised and trusting my work at the end of the day.”

Still, some moments, considering UNC’s track record, have required crossed fingers, even for Davis. Especially as games have gone down to the wire. 

He’s also maintained a positive outlook for his final year, despite UNC racking up more losses than the 2022-23 team — who missed the NCAA tournament — had by early February. That team recorded nine losses by this time of year. This team has 10. 

“[We’re] taking one game at a time, but understanding what’s at stake,” Davis said. “We got a couple of games left to make one last push.” 

He has focused on being grateful for the moments he has left in Carolina Blue. 

He also has bided his time. 

On Saturday, things clicked, and when the team needed him, he answered. He shot 6-for-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from three. 

“We always trust him with the ball and to make the right plays,” junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin said. “We never doubt him.”

When the Panthers clawed out of an early 12-3 deficit to make it a two-point game, there was Davis, knocking down a step-back three in front of the Pittsburgh bench. On the next trip, he pulled up for another deep look, pushing North Carolina to a 10-2 run. 

And even when he missed a jumper for a chance to build a more comfortable UNC lead in the last two minutes, his teammates and head coach still wanted the ball in his hands for the final offensive possession.

He made it count. 

“I like RJ out there,” head coach Hubert Davis said. He laughed. “Let’s see if we can get an extra year for RJ. That’d be fun.” 

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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