UNC Basketball program earns two Naismith Trophy semifinalists
By Jordan Falls
The duo of RJ Davis and Hubert Davis is a big reason why the UNC Basketball program has had the amount of success they have achieved during the 2023-2024 basketball season. The duo brought home the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach and Player of the Year honors earlier this week at the conclusion of the regular season.
RJ Davis claimed more accolades in the mid-week by being named a Sporting News First-Team All-American. Now, both Davis' have been named semifinalists for their respective awards for the Naismith Trophy:
RJ Davis is a semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year, and Hubert Davis is a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year.
Naismith Trophy Semifinalists 🙌#CarolinaFamily | @ariidavis_ pic.twitter.com/bbfp6wqYok
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 15, 2024
RJ Davis has averaged 21.0 points per game this season while shooting 43.3% from the field and fueling the North Carolina offense. Hubert Davis has taken a program that struggled just a season ago, finishing 20-13 overall and 11-9 in the ACC, and completely turned them around by rebuilding and reconstructing the roster.
The 2022-2023 Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament. The 2023-2024 Tar Heels are in position to earn a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Hubert Davis deserves all the credit for turning this team around by using the transfer portal to build a roster that fits together perfectly. Each piece on the roster has a purpose.
The amount of accolades that this UNC Basketball team has seen already accomplished puts into perspective just what type of season it has been for this year's Tar Heels. Sitting at 26-6 and already winning the ACC Regular Season Championship, they are the No. 1 overall seed in the ACC Tournament and two wins away from claiming the program's first conference tournament title since 2016.
Can the accolades continue to roll in for these two? Will either win their respective national awards? Neither Davis is thinking about those individual accolades though. They both have the same goal in mind...
Hang two more banners in the rafters of the Dean E. Smith Center.
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