RJ Davis sets Smith Center scoring record vs. Miami

In a race for a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina needed to keep the pace by beating Miami on Monday. In what seemed to be a routine victory, the Tar Heels stumbled in the final minutes of the game. Thankfully, they came through and avoided a bad loss on Monday night — all on the back of star guard RJ Davis.

Davis finished with 42 points, the most ever scored at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Tyler Hansbrough previously held the record with a 40-point performance against Georgia Tech in 2006. It’s unlike any performance UNC head coach Hubert Davis has seen.

“I told him after the game ‘I’ve seen a number of performances here at Carolina and also in the NBA. Very few have I seen the type of performance he had tonight.’ I was really proud of him,” Davis said during his postgame press conference.

Going for 42 points is something to celebrate, no matter the occasion. But North Carolina will be thankful for all of them considering how close things got against Miami. Late-game turnovers nearly killed the Tar Heels when Miami began to apply some pressure.

Hubert Davis knows how important RJ Davis’ scoring was for North Carolina. He still finds a way to make a bigger impact on the game though, being more than a scoring guard.

“It’s great for him to play the way he did on a national scene,” Davis said. “But what he did tonight — I know he hadn’t scored 42 points — the type of performance he had tonight, he’s had all season. He put the team on his back. It wasn’t just his points. I thought he was great defensively. We needed every bit of his 42 tonight. He was fantastic.”

With the win, North Carolina will maintain sole possession of first place in the ACC. Things will likely come down to the final day of the regular season with a trip to Cameron Indoor against Duke.

North Carolina has bigger aspirations than just winning the ACC, though. Getting back to the national championship has been the goal for the last two seasons. Last year’s team fell well short but now, the Tar Heels will be one of the favorites heading into March.

This type of performance from Davis is a huge reason why. Having one of the best scoring guards in the country usually means deep runs to the Final Four are certainly possible.