3 takeaways from UNC Basketball’s comeback win over Florida State

1) RJ Davis is the early frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year

On an afternoon when Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan struggled with their shot, RJ Davis again showed why he is the early frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year. Davis, who had scored 80 points in his previous three games combined, kept right in line with that average with another ho-hum 27-point effort.

Davis made three of the Heels’ five three-pointers on the day, and he was flawless from the line, making all eight of his attempts. His full game was on display in this one, especially in the second half, where he scored 16 of his points.

Davis knows exactly how to manipulate a defense. He can catch a pass, pump-fake a flying defender into oblivion, and get himself a wide open three. He can catch that same pass and beat his defender with a lightning-quick first step, then finish at the rim, even against a center lying in wait. He’s a master at finding space without the ball, and he can rescue a lost possession with his deadly mid-range jumper off the dribble.

Carolina will almost surely be the highest-ranked ACC team in the next AP poll (Saturday was a doubly good day for UNC fans, as Duke lost mere minutes after Carolina won), and Davis has been the catalyst. He still has the high-low chemistry with Armando Bacot that comes with playing together for four years, and his immediate rapport with backcourt mate Elliot Cadeau has taken his game to a new level.

No observer could say with a straight face that Carolina played their “A” game against Florida State. But UNC had RJ Davis, and Florida State didn’t. That was the difference.