Saturday’s matchup vs. No. 2 Duke is UNC men’s basketball’s final opportunity to make a statement before the postseason begins — and the final game in the Dean E. Smith Center for fifth-year senior R.J. Davis, who will leave as a record-holding player in program and ACC history.
Davis, as well as UNC head coach Hubert Davis, spoke with media members Thursday afternoon at the Smith Center to preview the matchup and Senior Night for the Tar Heels. Below are a transcript of their answers to some of the questions and topics, which have been lightly edited for clarity.
R.J. Davis
On the biggest difference for UNC in this matchup compared to the 87-70 loss at Duke in February: [It is] our mindset and maturity. I think those two key factors have really taken a big step forward. I think our mindset [is] in terms of understanding who we are as a team and our identity. I don’t think in the beginning of the year, and just going throughout the first week of ACC play, we really knew our identity as a team. And I think we’ve found our recipe these past couple games, past couple weeks leading up to [Saturday.] I just think our motto right now is: whatever it takes, and whatever it takes to win. We’re diving into doing the little details, the little things that [are] allowing us to make these stretches, these runs, and overall [to] have fun. And our preparation has been huge — I think that’s what’s been huge for us and our maturity level.
Obviously with basketball… it was a new team. You have freshmen, you have transfers, so that takes a lot of team chemistry to be built up. But I just think as the season went on, I feel like each player, individually, their game matured a little bit and they felt more comfortable within the flow of the game. You’ve also got to understand, [the February game] was the majority of my teammates’ first time actually playing in the UNC vs. Duke rivalry, at Duke. It’s a different type of atmosphere, a little bit. But I just think as games go on, as [you play in] bigger games, you feel more comfortable, you feel more confident. So I just think those past five weeks have been huge for us. Obviously, we wanted a different outcome at Duke, but… it was needed.
On UNC’s updated rotation matching up with Duke’s size: I think it’ll be huge for us. Duke, they’re basically 6-foot-4 and up from all the positions — from point guard all the way to the big. So, I just think having the bigger lineup gives us an advantage to match with them, from the guards all the way down to the big. I just think our game plan, our preparation has to be huge going [against] the because they’re a really good and talented team that play really well together. But, so are we. We have to do a good job of just staying sharp at all times, and I think that [bigger] lineup will help. Because… I don’t know, they’re big man is what, like, seven feet [tall]? And Cooper [Flagg] is like 6-foot-10, something like that? So having J-Wit who’s, you know, taller, more athletic… him playing him at the four, I think that would be huge [in the game] for us.
On his legacy and growth through his five years at UNC: I feel like I’m leaving this place as a better athlete, as a better man. I do feel like… I stepped onto campus during COVID with a mask on and now leaving as a young man, I feel like I [will have] left this place better than what I came in with. I’ve learned a lot over the years — from basketball, from school to life and I wouldn’t want my journey or my life, this chapter chapter of my life to be any different or to go any other way. I’ve enjoyed every single part of it: the good, the bad, the ugly, the roller coasters, the highs and the lows… it just gave me a clear picture of what life is.
And the legacy I’ve built, I think it has a common theme of dealing with adversity and how to overcome that. That’s what I really, like, preach on and harp on because that’s what life throws at you. Sometimes life will go your way, sometimes it won’t… and how do you respond to that? [It] really defines who you are as a person. So, that’s how I envisioned my last five years of being here, and the legacy I’ve built here has been phenomenal. I’m just proud of the way that I persevered through it all and had fun through it even when things weren’t going my way. That’s really all I can be proud of myself [for], is consistently being consistent, even when others didn’t think I was staying true to myself. I think that’s the best way to put it.
During R.J. Davis’ freshman season, the world was still reacting and adjusting to the spread of COVID-19. For much of the 2020-21 season, the arena stands were empty and only had cardboard representations of fans, like this game vs. Georgia Tech on Dec. 30, 2020. (Photo via Curtis Compton, Pool.)
On experiencing the extremes of playing during the COVID-19 pandemic to playing in a national title game: It was weird, because obviously you watch the UNC-Duke games as a kid in high school and even in middle school… you’re growing up and you see the rivalry, you see the anticipation of energy building up before those games. And then as a freshman you’re going, like, ‘Okay, I’m about to play in those games.’ And then you go out there and it’s like a deadbeat [environment], there’s silence and you’re playing in front of the cardboard [cutouts of fans.] So my sophomore year, that was really first time of, like, actually playing a rivalry game and actually feeling that type of energy and environment.
Going from playing in a silent gym to 22,000 people yelling and making noise… I mean that was a crazy experience. That was a fulfilling moment for me right there. And just, overall, I never take it for granted. The type of games I played in, the magnitude of the games, the built-up energy, the interviews I do with you guys… I never took that for granted because I know at one point in time, this could all could be gone. I always remind myself of that — whenever I was a freshman and then playing in the Final Four against Duke. Those are the type of games that you always envisioned yourself as [playing in], so once I actually got the chance to actually play in them, I just wanted to take full advantage of it.
UNC guard R.J. Davis (4) celebrating with Caleb Love (2), Leaky Black (1) and forward Armando Bacot (5) late in the second half of the team’s game at Duke on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Photo via AP Photo/Gerry Broome.)
On his most memorable moment so far in the UNC-Duke rivalry: I would say when we beat Duke at Duke, Coach K’s last [home] game. That one was so special to me because [in] the beginning of the year, we played them here [in Chapel Hill] and we got smacked. And then going into that week, everyone thought the same outcome would happen. The only guys that really believed in [a different] outcome… the only people in the world that I felt like really believed that [we] could do it was us. We went into that game with so much confidence and the [weight of the] world was lifted off our shoulders, and we went out there and hooped. That’s the type of team, the type of mindset you want to have to go into battle. That was for me, by far, the most memorable moment. And also because we drove back to Franklin [Street], you see the fans and students just rush Franklin. So, that’s up there with the Final Four [win over Duke] as well.
Hubert Davis
On the Tar Heels’ improved offense and shot selection during their six-game winning streak: From an offensive standpoint, we always want to dominate points in the paint. We want to go inside out through post and penetration offensive rebound. I think we’re doing a better job of that. I think that’s generating better three-pointers, better shots at the right time, open shots, getting it to your teammate at the right time. I just think they’re good threes. And as a result of that, guys are really being able to find their rhythm and we’re making them. I would attribute to us wanting to go inside-out from an offensive shot spectrum — but that’s generating really good threes for us, and we’re knocking down those open threes.
On Duke’s strong play entering Saturday and their strengths: I mean, they’re really good. From a defensive standpoint… I think that’s where they hang their hat: defensively. And they have the length, the athleticism, the mindset. And they understand that [focus] drives them, that’s what makes them a great defensive team. On the offensive end, especially when you allow them to connect the dots… their ball movement, their screens are on point. And they’ve got individual players that you can just give the ball to, and they can get a shot anytime they want. One of the things that impresses me most about them… [a reporter] used the word “surging.” That’s [indicating they are] continuing to improve and like for them to have that much success and for them to have a burning desire to surge and to improve, that’s really impressive to me.
On his team playing with emotion while maintaining discipline: Our guys are settled in regards to their roles and what they could do out there on the floor. That gives them confidence and that [settled nature], and that confidence is resulting in individual and team success. And I think that’s bringing out the joy in them. Seth [Trimble] after the Virginia Tech game referenced that the entire team was playing for the name on the front of their chest. It’s a collective, group effort to come together as a team and to play for this program, for this university. And I think that’s where that joy is coming from.
When we were playing against Virginia Tech and it was at halftime, I told them that I’m an emotional person. And what draws that emotion out of me is three things: one, my faith and Jesus; two, my family; and three, basketball. And I said, “Those are good things. The reason why it brings out that emotion is because I love those things. Those are the most important things to me.’ So, the emotion of Senior Day, the emotion of playing your last ACC regular season game, the emotion of playing Duke…. I want all of it. I want all of it, and I want all of it to come out in competing, and playing, and competitively fighting. I want all of it.
On recruiting R.J. Davis and watching him play for the first time: I’ve been [coaching] five years with him, but it’s even [longer] than that because I was the recruiter for R.J. I remember the first time that I saw him play. I was covering another AAU event, he was playing on the Nike circuit [in Atlanta] and I flew into the Nike circuit the last day that they were playing. They were only playing games from like eight in the morning until noon, and I had taken the red-eye [flight] and gotten there just before 8 o’clock. And I remember talking to Coach [Roy] Williams and I asked him, ‘Coach, because I’m only here for the day, could I walk around and just watch different games as opposed to just sitting at one particular game?’ And Coach Williams said, ‘Yes, for sure, go for it.’
I walked around all the 12 courts, and I just kept turning around and R.J. was [catching my eye]. I saw this kid hit a three. And I said, ‘Oh, that’s a nice shot.’ And then I walked around, saw the same kid hit another three…and I saw him steal a ball, score a layup, and then make a nice assist. And I found myself at that court almost the whole time. I came back to Coach Williams and I was like, ‘There’s this kid named R.J. Davis that’s pretty good, I think we need to take a look at him. I think he just plays the right way and looks like a really good kid. I love the way that he interacts with his coaches and his teammates, and that’s just the kind of guy that we love to have a part of our program,’ [all] in this brief viewing. I just happened to be at that event that morning and just happened to turn my head and see R.J… and now he’s playing his final game in the Smith Center. And I’ve been his coach for five years and been his head coach for four. It’s pretty cool.
On R.J.’s individuality and whether remaining at one program for five years sets him apart: R.J. is R.J., there’s not a [reason to] ‘set apart’ because R.J. has done this or who he is as a person. We celebrate the uniqueness of everyone and their personality… so really, everybody is set apart because they’re all different people. In regards to R.J., to have somebody so accomplished and to be able to stay at one institution for five years under the way college is right now, [it] is very rare. And I don’t know how many times that’s gonna happen. So of the many things that you can say about R.J. — him being loyal to this program and to this university — is something that should be celebrated and should be talked about.
UNC’s final home game of the 2024-25 season vs. Duke will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. 97.9 The Hill’s coverage will begin at 5 p.m. with Countdown to Tip-Off.
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