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BOOM! RJ! RJ! BOOM! RJ! RJ!
The Tar Heels did not make a 3-pointer (0-for-8) in the first half and had one good run to go ahead of Wake Forest by eight as a late-arriving and lethargic crowd was just settling in.
The Deacons were as advertised, good shooters, quick and scrappy. They came back to lead 34-33 at the half, and coach Steve Forbes tried to fire them up with a rousing halftime talk.
R.J. Davis came out to warm up for the second half and spent most of the time at the 3-point line, getting his groove back after missing all three long balls and recording the only assist UNC had. It looked like the eight-game winning streak might end with Carolina’s first home loss of the season.
Wake continued to lead until Elliot Cadeau’s two short jumpers tied the score at 39-39 and gave the Heels the lead they never lost. But the home crowd was antsy, waiting for something to happen. Something exploded.
Davis took a pass from Cormac Ryan in the deep left corner and drained his team’s first 3-pointer of the night. The Dean Dome erupted. Thirty seconds later, Cadeau started a fast break and pitched ahead to RJ in the same spot. BOOM! The Heels were ahead by six and the fans had what they came for.
The Deacs closed to within four points and then during another run the third bomb dropped, Ryan’s majestic “three” from the right wing assisted by Davis. Carolina was up by 14, and the crowd was up and totally bonkers.
Despite a college career high by Davis, this wasn’t a one- or two-man show. Jalen Washington scored from the paint for a nine-point lead and RJ came back with two free throws to go up 11. Ryan’s three ball was the only other trey besides RJ, who ran his streak of making multiple 3-pointers to 16 games dating back to early this season.
There was even more after the Tar Heels had secured their ninth straight win and an 8-0 record atop in the ACC; first time that happened since the 2016 team under Roy Williams (who wore a pink sweater and had walked to the Wake bench at halftime to visit parents of two players he recruited).
Harrison Ingram had another monster night on the glass with 14 rebounds; Cadeau completed his highest scoring ACC game (14 points) with another close basket assisted by Ingram. Armando Bacot and Jae’Lyn Withers combined for a double-double, with Mondo adding 4 blocks and a steal.
Davis had already tied his one-game high of 30 points but by this time was smoking hot. He hit two howitzers from straight away for 36 points, the most for a Tar Heel since Brice Johnson’s 39 at FSU in 2016 and the most in the Smith Center since Tyler Hansbrough’s 39 against Clemson in 2008.
As the last minute ticked off, the fans chanted “RJ! RJ!”
“He’s amazing,” Hubert Davis said. “I’ve never heard that before here.”
BOOM! BOOM!
Featured image via Todd Melet
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Is RJ enrolled in the University?