RJ Davis sets Dean Smith Center record for most points in a single game

RJ Davis.

Once again, Davis continued playing at the elite level that we have witnessed him do throughout the 2023-2024 UNC Basketball season. After an "off night" following a 1-14 performance from the field where he still scored 12 points in Charlottesville on Saturday, Davis rebounded with the best performance of his career.

And the Tar Heels needed every single bit of it against the Hurricanes on Monday night. Davis was 14-22 from the field, including 7-11 from beyond the arc. One of those three-pointers came from approximately eastern North Carolina on the state map of the center court logo. Davis also added to his point total by going 7-9 from the free-throw line.

All of that combined to add up for a career-high total of 42 points scored, setting a record for most points scored in the Dean E. Smith Center. The previous record was 40, set by Tyler Hansbrough as a freshman in 2006 versus Georgia Tech.

The last time a Tar Heel scored 40 points in a game, regardless of location, was Harrison Barnes when he did it versus Clemson at the ACC Tournament in 2011.

Despite all of Davis' efforts, it was still a nail-biter in Chapel Hill versus the Hurricanes, who put up a fight of their own and trailed by just 2 with 25 seconds to go at 72-70. Davis had a huge play late in the game when he made one of two free throw attempts to put the Tar Heels up 73-70 and then got his own rebound off a Harrison Ingram tip-out.

The play didn't end the game, but it burned a lot of clock and kept Miami from having a possession with plenty of time to have a chance to tie the game.

Davis was the only Tar Heel to score in double-figures on Monday night versus the Hurricanes. The rest of the team offensively was 13-39 from the field for 33.3% while Davis was nearly twice as efficient at 63.6%.

Following the performance against Virginia, some outsiders began to question if Davis could be challenged for ACC Player of the Year down the stretch. Davis heard those questioning him and answered, just as he has at every turn this season, at a time when the UNC Basketball team desperately needed him to step up.

ACC Player of the Year? Yeah, we think so.