RJ Davis Ready to Pass UNC Basketball Champ on All-Time List

After the next UNC basketball game, chances are the defending ACC Player of the Year will trail only three Tar Heels in career points.

UNC basketball guard RJ Davis / Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UNC basketball guard RJ Davis began his graduate campaign at No. 5 on the all-time UNC basketball scoring list with his 2,088 career points as a beloved Tar Heel.

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Sure, the 23-year-old's 17.7 points per game through the team's 2-1 start mark a slight dip from his 21.2 scoring average last season, as he's tallied a subpar 5-for-25 clip from 3-point range. That said, it's worth noting that Davis played only 26 minutes in UNC's latest outing, a 107-55 home win over American on Friday night, due to the lopsided score.

Now, Davis is on the verge of leapfrogging No. 4 among all-time Tar Heel bucket-getters in 1982 UNC basketball national champion and eventual 17-year NBA forward Sam Perkins.

Perkins finished with 2,145 points as a Tar Heel. Entering No. 10-ranked UNC's road bout against Hawaii at 12:30 a.m. ET Saturday (ESPN2), RJ Davis sits at 2,141.

He needs 149 more points to match No. 3 on the list, Phil Ford. Barring an injury, the 6-foot, 180-pounder from New York should achieve that total at some point in the next few weeks before setting his eyes on his recent teammate in No. 2 Armando Bacot's 2,347 points.

Plus, No. 1 Tyler Hansbrough's 2,872 points aren't completely out of reach yet. However, Davis would have to average well over 20 points per game from here on out to get there.

As a senior, the ACC Player of the Year's 784 points marked the most in a season by any UNC basketball guard in history. And he set a program season record with his 113 splashes beyond the arc.

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