'Last go-around': RJ Davis scores 26 points, perfect from three to rout SDSU

DAYTON, Ohio — RJ Davis' mom, Venessa Davis, pissed him off on Friday. 

The graduate guard had just experienced his worst game against Duke since his first year with the Tar Heels. Davis scored 8 points and went 4-for-10 from the field against the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament semifinals. UNC's 74-71 loss left North Carolina on the NCAA tournament bubble. Without a guaranteed bid, Venessa Davis stated the obvious in what could have been Davis' last game at UNC after five seasons. 

"You played like shit."

She didn't offer condolences. There was no sympathy. Instead, she became the person Davis has needed since coming to North Carolina: his sounding board and psychologist all wrapped into one. 

"Mama love," Davis said. "It's tough love. She's my number one critic. So, she's gonna tell me what I don't wanna hear." 

After UNC earned the last at-large bid in the NCAA tournament on Sunday, Davis used Venessa Davis' words as motivation.

The graduate guard led the No. 11 seed UNC men's basketball team past No. 11 seed San Diego State, 95-68, on Tuesday evening in a NCAA tournament First Four contest at the University of Dayton Arena. The graduate guard scored a game-high 26 points on 6-for-6 shooting from three. The performance makes Davis the first Tar Heel to shoot 5-for-5 or more from behind the arc in an NCAA tournament since now-head coach Hubert Davis did it in 1991.

"For him to go 6-for-6 in our most important game of the season, for him to have that type of performance is incredible," junior guard Seth Trimble said. "It's amazing. I've never seen anybody in a game go perfect [from] three, and he did that at a high volume too."

But the performance was molded out of pressure. And if anyone knows about pressure, it's RJ Davis. 

He led UNC to an ACC regular season title and to a conference championship appearance in 2024. Then, the ACC Player of the Year and All-American helped guide the Tar Heels to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But, North Carolina fell in the Sweet Sixteen. 

In his final season leading UNC, Davis' accolades have been more mixed. 

Sure, he's still averaging 17 points per game. But Davis has the worst field goal percentage since his first season with UNC. Behind him, the Tar Heels not only barely made the NCAA tournament, but were criticized for receiving a chance to participate. Davis went from Player of the Year and national championship discussions to being questioned on whether UNC should still be playing in March.

"For us to be considered a [No. 11 seed] team and to have people asking, 'Do you think you're a tournament team?'" Davis said before the game, "that irks my soul."

He was well aware he played badly against Duke in the ACC tournament. He understands this season is a shadow of the last. And he knows his time in a Carolina Blue uniform is running out. 

"You put pressure on yourself just from the doubts, the fears, the worries that are constantly replaying in your mind," Davis said. "But at the same time that's when you have to take a step back."

So, when the pressure became too much, he leaned on the person who criticizes him most — his mom. He started repeating affirmations to himself, the same ones he learned from summers spent doing mental exercises with her starting his first year. Venessa Davis is a school psychologist, and the pair have always worked together before the basketball season starts to ensure RJ Davis is in a good place.

He needed something after being "thrown into the fire" in 2020, and he needs them again exiting it in 2025.

And the affirmations are simple: I'm capable. I'm confident. I know who I am. I've been here before. 

He said it in the 24 hours between Selection Sunday in Chapel Hill and traveling to Dayton. He said it to himself while warming up. He didn't stop repeating it.

Then, he put thought into action. Davis closed his eyes and visualized the game. He felt at peace.

He buried a three with over 13 minutes left in the first half. 6-foot-7 SDSU guard Miles Byrd tried to prevent Davis from getting much room. It didn't matter. He did it again with less than a minute remaining from the same spot. Then, 40 seconds later he hit a buzzer beater triple to end the first half. Davis ran down the court pounding his chest.

He opened the second half with a triple from the logo. With seven minutes left, junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin grabbed the defensive rebound, Davis received the ball from sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau in transition and made the pull-up jumper from distance. 

Inspired by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, Davis swung his arms and skipped back down the court. First-year center James Brown told him every shot he took looked like a layup.

"I was just out there having fun," Davis said. "But, at the same time, I told myself this is my last go-around."

Davis has felt the pressure and he still feels it. But he knows how to handle it. He's learned how to find reassurance from the people he trusts in the most tumultuous moments, from his mom to his teammates all the way to Hubert Davis, who doesn't want to imagine a future where his star guard isn't there.

"As a head coach, I don't know what it looks like to exist without him on the sideline and on the floor, and I don't want to think about it," the head coach said. "You think about not just his game but his character, who he is, the type of person, the relationship that we have and developed over the years, and to see him just have an outstanding game tonight was really fun to watch."

@_emmahmoon

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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