UNC Basketball: Senior Guard Will Lead Tar Heels In 2023-24

This senior guard will be a key piece and leader of the UNC Basketball team if they want to achieve their goals in 2023-2024.

RJ Davis has been a keystone piece of the UNC Basketball teams under Hubert Davis for the last several seasons and has played important roles throughout his time in Chapel Hill. However, this upcoming season may be the biggest role he has been in during his collegiate career.

What can we expect from Davis this season? How big of a role does he play on this year’s roster with a backcourt overhaul? We will cover all of that in this player preview of the fourth-year guard from White Plains, New York.

2022-2023 Season In Review

While last year wasn’t the year anyone associated with the UNC Basketball program wanted, one of the bright spots was RJ Davis. Davis started all but one game for the Tar Heels last season and was the best three-point shooter on a team that struggled from beyond the arc. He hit 36.2% of his attempts from three, out of 174 total attempts. He was the best and most consistent, free throw shooter at 88.1%, hitting 111 out of 126 attempts.

He dished out 104 total assists, an average of 3.2 assists per game. He was second on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game, behind Caleb Love’s 16.7 mark. The finger injury he suffered during last season hurt his shooting performance toward the end of the year and provided some uncharacteristic shooting percentages from him.

Davis played some point guard last season and shared time with Love at the position, but it felt like, at times, the two were out of sync and didn’t know who was the true point guard in certain situations. I would expect that to change this season.

What to Expect in 2023-2024

With Caleb Love no longer in Chapel Hill, and reclassified point guard Elliot Cadeau expected to step in and make an immediate impact for the UNC basketball program, expect RJ Davis to move into a more carved-out role at the two-guard position. Davis should be able to operate off the ball more effectively, not always having to look to create his own shot.

His leadership and experience will be beneficial to the young Cadeau as he learns the point guard position in the Carolina system. Davis’ toughness on the court will be unmatched, and he will be a true leader on and off the court for the Tar Heels this season. Expect him to be near the top of the roster in scoring offense once again.

One of the several Tar Heels struggle points last year was three-point shooting, and even though Davis was a bright spot there, that needs to improve this season. I imagine that has been a point of emphasis this off-season by Hubert Davis, and we will see that 36.2% mark increase this year for RJ.

Bold Prediction

Guard play is so crucial in college basketball, and Davis is projected to be one of the top guards in the country. I have said this for the last two seasons, and I am a firm believer of it again for the 2023-2024 season: UNC Basketball will go as RJ Davis goes.

What does that mean?

It means his leadership on and off the court, as well as his all-around performance, will be a key factor in determining just how good and successful this team can be. This team is talented and can get back to making that annual appearance in the Big Dance. But in my opinion, the better Davis is, the farther they will go in March.

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