Keeping It Heel
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March Madness: R.J. Davis proves that he is THAT DUDE!

By Nick Delahanty

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 19: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after scoring three points in the first half of the game against the Baylor Bears during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dickies Arena on March 19, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 19: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after scoring three points in the first half of the game against the Baylor Bears during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dickies Arena on March 19, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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When the UNC basketball program needed him the most, R.J. Davis stepped up to the challenge to lead the Tar Heels to the March Madness Sweet 16.

In the UNC basketball program’s March Madness opening round contest, R.J. Davis did not have his best shooting performance.

Although he did dish out a season-high 12 assists, the sophomore guard connected on just one of his 10 shot attempts. If you combined his last two games, the White Plains, New York native made just three of his 20 total attempts from the floor.

This is not a typical occurrence for Davis, especially in back-to-back games.

However, little did we know, the Tar Heels were going to need Davis to step up in their second-round battle, and their co-captain was more than ready for the challenge.

We know the tale of how this game went down: North Carolina got off to a huge 25-point lead with about 10 minutes to play. Brady Manek’s ejection quickly turned the momentum and was followed by Caleb Love fouling out just a few minutes later.

The final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime were prime examples of why this time of year is typically called “March Madness”

Down two starters, among other foul trouble, it was Davis who was asked to lead the team to victory.

In 45 minutes of action, Davis scored a career-high 30 points, while also recording six assists and five rebounds, en route to leading the Tar Heels to an upset victory over No. 1 seed Baylor. His And-1 towards the end of overtime helped give North Carolina a lead that they would not relish.

It’s important to note that Davis got his team going early, as he was responsible for their first eight points of the game. This helped set the tone and provided a huge spark for North Carolina as they were able to create their big lead.

Most of his damage came in the first half, as 17 of his 30 points were scored during the first 20 minutes of play. However, his points in the second half came in important spots, as it was enough to, as he tweeted, “survive and advance.”

With his scoring output, Davis becomes just the 13th player in UNC basketball history to score 30 or more points in an NCAA Tournament contest. The sophomore guard joins some elite company with this milestone:

With his standout performance, R.J. Davis is our “Tar Heel of the Game” award recipient for the UNC basketball program’s upset victory over Baylor. We’ll have at least one more award to hand out as the Tar Heels will advance to this year’s Sweet 16!

Based on today, R.J. Davis is showing that he is certainly built for March Madness!

Next. Dawson Garcia's absence remains a mystery. dark

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