Four years into the Hubert Davis era at North Carolina, he owns a 101-45 overall record, including 56-24 in ACC play, and 8-3 in NCAA Tournament games.
As we have fun diving into various topics this offseason, we ask and asnswer what are the Tar Heels’ 10 best wins of the Davis era,
This is a subjective list so there are no right or wrong lists, and for that we’d like everyone’s take on what games to add and what to remove.
Here are our 10 games:
UNC 81, Duke 77
April 2, 2022
In the Final Four in New Orleans, the Tar Heels did it again, beating Duke in a huge game on a massive national stage. This time it was in the Final Four and was the last game Blue Devils legend Mike Krzyzewski ever coached.
Caleb Love led the Heels with 28 points, including a memorable 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of 7-foot- Duke center Mark Williams for a 3-pointer preserving the win with seconds remaining.
RJ Davis added 18 points, Bradey Manek had 14, and Armando Bacot scored 11 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.
UNC 94, Duke 81
March 5, 2022
At Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s former players were on hand to celebrate the final home game of his career. It was a huge national story and happened to also include the Tar Heels as the visiting team.
Carolina shocked most sports fans by pulling away from Duke earning a 13-point victory. Four Heels scored 20-plus points: Armando Bacot had 23 , Caleb Love 22, RJ Davis 21, and Brady Manek added 20.
This was the performance that truly triggered Carolina’s memorable run to the national title game.
UNC 93, Baylor 86 (OT)
March 19, 2022
In the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Fort Worth, TX, the Tar Heels planted another flag in the soil of their magnificent run that season by taking out the defending national champions 88 miles from their campus in Waco.
Saying it was a crazy game would be an understatement, as the Heels used an 18-4 run in building a 25-point lead at 67-42 with 10:47 left to play. But a bizarre sequence of events that led to Brady Manek’s ejection completely flipped the game.
The Bears ended up tying the game using a full-court press that flummoxed the Tar Heels. But in overtime, a lineup that included Dontrez Styles and Justin McKoy did enough to secure the win.
RJ Davis was incredible that day scoring 30 points while Manek had 26.
UNC 73, UCLA 66
March 25, 2022
In the Sweet 16 in Philadelphia, Carolina trailed by 3 points at halftime after Caleb Love scored just two points, but he exploded for 28 in the second half and the Heels outscored the Bruins by 10 points to get the win and advance to the Elite 8.
Armando Bacot added 14 points and 15 rebounds, Brady Manek added 13 points and 8 rebounds, and RJ Davis chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Leaky Black held UCLA star Jaime Jaquez to only 10 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
UNC 84, Duke 79
March 9, 2024
At Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, Carolina looked to outright clinch the ACC regular season with a win at its rival, which it had beaten a month earlier at home in Chapel Hill.
This was Cormac Ryan’s night. He scored 30 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range, and was 9-for-10 from the free throw line, in leading the Heels to the impressive win.
Harrison Ingram added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Armando Bacot and RJ Davis both scored in single digits, which further illustrates how well Ryan and Ingram played.
UNC 95, San Diego State 68
March 18, 2025
At the First Four of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton, OH, Carolina was the most talked about team in the nation with most pundits saying the Tar Heels did not belong in the NCAA Tournament. Not even in Dayton for the First Four.
All the Heels did was galvanize and destroyed the Aztecs leading by as many as 42 points late in the game.
RJ Davis set a UNC record with a 6-for-6 performance shooting from 3-point range. He finished with 26 points while Seth Trimble added 16, Ven-Allen Lubin 12, and Jae’Lyn withers had 10 as the Heels advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament and quieted many of its ctitics.
UNC 100, Tennessee 92
Nov. 29, 2023
At the Smith Center in the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tar Heels exploded in the first half taking a 61-39 lead into the locker room at the intermission. The Volunteers made a hard push in the second half led by Dalton Knecht’s 37 points, but the Heels prevailed down the stretch.
Three Tar Heels scored 20-plus points paced by RJ Davis’ 27 points, plus UNC got 22 points from Armando Bacot and 20 from Harrison Ingram. Cormac Ryan added 15 points.
UNC 81, Oklahoma 69
Dec. 20, 2023
At the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, the Tar Heels entered the contest having lost consecutive games to UConn and Kentucky and desperately needed a quality win. The Sooners were undefeated and ranked 7th in the nation.
UNC, however, was ready to play and pulled away for the win. RJ Davis paced Carolina with 23 points, Armando Bacot had 14, Cormac Ryan 13, and Harrison Ingram added 11.
UNC 76, UCLA 74
Dec. 21, 2024
At the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden, Carolina was in desperate need of a quality non-ACC win, and No. 18 UCLA provided that opportunity.
UNC outscored the Bruins by 10 in the second half paced by a breakout game from freshman Ian Jackson, who led the Tar Heels with 24 points. RJ Davis totaled 17 points and Seth Trimble pitched in 12.
UNC 71, Virginia 63
Feb. 25, 2023
In Chapel Hill, the Heels were in absolute need of a Quad 1 win and got one against a program that had been a nemesis for the previous decade.
Pete Nance came through with 22 points while RJ Davis had 16 along with 10 rebounds, Armando Bacot 11, and Caleb Love finished with 10. The win gave UNC a Q1 win, but in the end, it wasn’t enough as the Tar Heels did not make the NCAA Tournament.
