RJ Davis Returns to Strengthen North Carolina 2024-25 Basketball Team

The University of North Carolina got good news as RJ Davis announced that he is returning for a fifth season. The Tarheels had a solid season, winning the ACC regular season title, making it to the finals of the ACC tournament, and ultimately to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

As we crawl toward the 2024-25 college basketball season, Overtime Heroics is the best place to check out college basketball news. The Tarheels are on the shortlist of contenders heading into the 2024-25 season, thanks largely to the return of one of the best players in the country.

Back for a 5th Season. The RJ Davis UNC connection is an important one. Given his accolades, his return is no minor occurrence for one of the top programs in the country. The Tarheels recruit well, but one look at RJ Davis stats 2024 will reveal his importance.

Dominant ACC Player. While RJ Davis’s stats are certainly important, the real impact can be seen in his accomplishments. The 2023-24 season was his best as a Tarheel and “RJ Davis UNC legend” became a real talking point.

Davis won the ACC Player of the Year award a year ago while also earning first-team All-American status. He is also the first Tarheel to win the Jerry West Award, which is given each year to the top shooting guard in the country by the vaunted Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Of all the RJ Davis stats in 2024, perhaps the most impressive came in a game vs. Miami on Feb. 26. In that game, Davis made a career-best seven three-pointers and set the all-time Smith Center record with 42 points.

Speaking of RJ Davis stats, he led the ACC in scoring with 21.2 points per game and 39.8% of made three-pointers. Davis also happens to be UNC’s all-time free throw percentage leader (.858), second in three-pointers (274), and fifth in total scoring (2,088).

2025 National Title? The most important part of his return is that Davis undoubtedly makes the Tarheels among the favorites tow in the national championship in 2025. UNC returns a plethora of talent, including Seth Trimble, who transferred only to return a few weeks later.

North Carolina will have Elliott Cadeau back plus the debut of talented freshman Ian Jackson, which will give them one of the best and deepest backcourts in all of college basketball. A strong backcourt is necessary to make a run at the national title.

If there is a glaring weakness for the Heels, it is in the post. Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot need to be replaced. They got Belmont transfer Cade Tyson to help fill the void left by the departing Cormac Ryan, and they are in line to potentially land Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero and Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi.

No matter how you shake it, North Carolina will be in the mix for the 2025 college basketball national championship. When the NCAA Tournament begins, don’t be surprised if the Heels are a No.1 seed and ready to roll.