UNC Basketball Star Hits Career Milestone in Kentucky Game

RJ Davis became the 33rd member of the UNC basketball program's 1,500-point club.

Photo credit: Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Entering Saturday evening's blueblood showdown against 14th-ranked Kentucky at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta's State Farm Arena, UNC basketball senior guard RJ Davis was the first Tar Heel in over 50 years to have a streak of four games with at least 26 points (30, 27, 27, 26). In other words, his past 110 points came in a hurry.

So, against the Wildcats, the 22-year-old Davis needed only seven points to earn membership in the program's 1,500-point club.

He reached that mark with his nine first-half points alone for the No. 9 Tar Heels, leapfrogging Tyler Zeller (1,501 points) into the No. 32 spot on the program's scoring list.

With nine first-half points, RJ Davis has 1,502 in his career (passing Tyler Zeller for 32nd in UNC history).

— Carolina Basketball Stats & Info (@UNCMBBStats) December 17, 2023

At the time of this article's publishing, he had added 11 more to pass then-No. 31 Scott Williams (1,508). But the Tar Heels faced a 71-70 deficit to Kentucky with under six minutes to play in the second half.

RJ Davis is the Tar Heels' leading scorer this season at 21.0 points per outing, almost five points more than the career high he set as a junior in Chapel Hill.

Meanwhile, UNC basketball graduate big man Armando Bacot (seven points against the Wildcats at the time of article's publishing) ranks No. 9 among all-time Tar Heels with his 1,960 career points and counting.

Bacot needs only 14 more to tie No. 8 Antawn Jamison (1,974 points) and 40 more to become only the seventh member of the program's 2,000-point club.

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