RJ Davis Rallies UNC: "Just Want to Be Ready When My Name's Called"
R.J. Davis helped UNC foil Syracuse’s zone defense on Wednesday, hitting a pair of three-pointers on his way to a 12-point night. That helped open things up in the paint.
“Obviously Syracuse's defense was very active in the two-three zone, active at the top of the key, so we tried to do our best to get the ball to the middle and sometimes down low because that's when we are at our best,” Davis said. “Especially when we space out the floor. Not only does that allow our bigs to look for their own shot, but it opens up space for our shooters.”
Davis helped spur a UNC rally, scoring seven points and getting two steals during the run.
“I know I've been struggling shooting the ball these past couple of games,” he said. “Coming into this game I just wanted to be ready when my name was called and just play with confidence, not worry too much about misses and turnovers, just play basketball. That was my main thing. I think that stretch right there was showing my confidence. Me being able to come in and knock that down form three, play defense and get my teammates involved felt great. Especially the winning.”
It was the first exposure to the Orange’s zone for UNC’s freshmen guards, but Davis said he and Caleb Love were prepared.
“I think I handled it pretty well,” he said. “We practiced it a lot throughout these last few days. The blue team, I give credit to them, they did a great job of basically showing how Syracuse runs their zone. Coming into this game today we were well prepared. Everyone took part in their role to come out and execute and play hard.”
