RJ Davis admits he was motivated by mom saying he 'played like s***' against Duke

Sometimes motivation can come from the most unlikely of places. Or, in North Carolina guard RJ Davis‘ case, perhaps not the most unlikely, but the most close to you.

Coming off an ACC Tournament loss to Duke, Davis got an earful from his mother. She knew he could play better.

“It was just like, you know, Mama loves. Tough love,” Davis explained following a play-in game win over San Diego State on Tuesday night. “She’s my No. 1 critic, so she’s going to tell me what I don’t want to hear. So she basically told me I played like s***, so I had to use that as motivation.”

Mama Davis might want to use that line a little more often. Because whatever she said it lit a fire under the veteran North Carolina guard.

RJ Davis scored 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting against the Aztecs. He was a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Contrast that with his lackluster outing against Duke: just eight points on 4-of-10 shooting. It was a world’s worth of difference.

The talented 6-foot guard explained his mother’s background. It actually makes a good deal of sense, with the motivating tactics working to perfection.

“My mom, she’s a psychologist, so we do a lot of mental work just to make sure I’m prepared and stuff,” RJ Davis said. “And she kind of pissed me off after the Duke game, so I had a little bit of motivation for this game.”

Davis also works through his own routine before games. He tries to get as locked in as possible.

Much of that entails positive self talk as a way of boosting confidence before games. Davis explained the entire routine, starting with a constantly repeated mantra during pregame warmups.

“That I’m strong, I’m capable, I’m confident,” RJ Davis said. “I’ve been in a lot of big games before, so this is just another game. And it’s really not much pressure to put on myself. I know who I am. Perform well at a high level, just stay calm and composed and trust your work and believe in it.”

After a 26-point outing in the NCAA Tournament opener, Davis can probably safely stick to the same routine. North Carolina, one of the last teams in the field, is looking to use its detractors as more fuel for the fire just like its veteran star.

Next up? A round of 64 meeting with six-seed Ole Miss, a game that tips off Friday at 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT.