Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
RJ Davis Leapfrogs Former UNC Basketball Sharpshooter on All-Time List
In Friday night's 105-60 home victory over unranked Charleston Southern in the Smith Center, UNC basketball guard RJ Davis wasted no time climbing one notch apiece on the program's all-time scoring and 3-point lists.
By the first media timeout, the senior had already scored 10 points, including two makes beyond the arc, to power the ninth-ranked Tar Heels to a 14-9 lead five minutes into the game.
He passed late-90s big man J.R. Reid (1,552) at No. 30 in career points. After finishing the night with 20 points, Davis (1,663) needs only four more to tie Reid's former teammate, now-Tar Heel assistant coach Jeff Lebo (1,567), at No. 29 on the list.
And Davis (196 career threes) leapfrogged mid-1990s UNC sharpshooter Dante Calabria (193) at No. 10 in 3-point field goals. After shooting 3-for-6 from deep, he needs only one more make to tie head coach Hubert Davis (197) at No. 9, four more to tie former teammate Caleb Love (200) at No. 8, and 14 more to tie No. 7 Lebo (211).
Against the Buccaneers, Davis became the first Tar Heel to ever record 20 points, 10 assists, five steals, and zero turnovers and the first since Kendall Marshall at Duke in 2012 to tally 20 points and 10 assists. Moreover, it's worth noting it was the 22-year-old's first career double-double of the points-assists variety.
With all of those new assists to his count, Davis (347 career dimes) overtook early-2010s UNC basketball guard Dexter Strickland (342) at No. 24 among all-time Tar Heels, within five of No. 23 Mike O'Koren (348, 1976-80).
RJ Davis and the Tar Heels (9-3, 1-0 ACC) must now prepare the first of three consecutive road games on their ACC-play-from-here-on-out slate. They head to Pitt to face the unranked Panthers (9-3, 0-1 ACC) at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.
