How North Carolina and RJ Davis have found redemption this season

“It’s his team,” he told ESPN.

For a three-time All-ACC selection and preseason All-American to make that proclamation about his North Carolina teammate was noteworthy.

“That means the world to me,” Davis responded. “It means a lot just to hear those words from him. I’m definitely honored and grateful to receive that kind of notoriety and recognition so far this year. I’ve been patiently waiting my turn.”

Given the season Davis is having, it’s hard to disagree with Bacot. The senior guard leads the ACC in scoring (21.3 PPG, 10th in the country in that category). He’s fifth in 3-point shooting (41.0%) and second in free throw shooting (90.4%) and also ranks in the top 15 in assists and top 20 in steals. His 36 points in January against Wake Forest was the most points in a game by a UNC player since Brice Johnson in 2016.

Despite not even being included as a first- or second-team preseason All-ACC selection, he has been arguably the best guard in the country this season and has a great shot at being picked as a first-team All-American by the end of it.

“I just feel like RJ has been overlooked for the type of player he is, and I feel like for the first time here, he’s being celebrated,” coach Hubert Davis said. “And I think that’s really cool.”

Despite starting all but one game over the past three seasons, RJ Davis was always the third or fourth scoring option for those UNC teams. He shared the backcourt with Caleb Love, giving the Tar Heels two combo guards who would prefer to score rather than run an offense. That didn’t always lead to efficient offense, however, and led to transfer rumors surrounding both Love and Davis toward the end of last season. Love ultimately transferred to Arizona, while Davis returned to Chapel Hill.

“I didn’t want to leave North Carolina,” Davis said. “It wasn’t even in my mind. It was more so, what does my future look like? What type of legacy do I want to leave behind? And that was really the main mentality and mindset that I [had] going into the offseason.”

That included taking on a bigger leadership role.

“I’ve seen the ins and outs of success and when things didn’t go as planned last year,” he said. “Going into my fourth year here, I knew I’m going to have to step out of my comfort zone a little bit. Be that leader, whether that’s talking or bringing guys along the way. Because I feel like that’s what’s needed … I wanted to be that guy. I wanted to be that voice.”

With Davis having his career year, Bacot — the team’s leading scorer in 2020-21 and 2021-22 and a preseason first-team All-American entering this campaign — has taken a backseat this season. Even with his dominance over the past few weeks (19.6 PPG, 12.0 RPG in his past five games), Bacot is still averaging his fewest points (14.6 PPG) since his sophomore season and has the lowest usage rate (20.1%) of his career.