What to know about R.J. Davis, North Carolina's senior star and ACC player of the year

R.J. Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels came up short in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels, the West Region's No. 1 seed, suffered a devastating 89-87 loss to No. 4 seed Alabama in Sweet 16 play on Thursday.

Davis got off to a slow start and was held to two points in the first half. He scored 14 points in the second half, but it was not enough to advance the Tar Heels to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022. He finished with 16 points, shooting 4-of-20 from the field and 0-of-9 from the 3-point line.

"I just wasn't good enough today. Missed a lot of easy shots that I normally make," an emotional Davis said postgame, before stopping to put his head on the table. Teammate Cormac Ryan interjected: "We would not be in this position today without R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot. ... (Davis) is one of the greatest Tar Heels of all time. For anybody to come and say anything negative about R.J. is unacceptable.”

Davis has piled up accolades during his stellar senior season. Here is what you need to know about North Carolina star R.J. Davis:

Who is R.J. Davis?

Davis, 22, is a senior guard at North Carolina.

R.J. Davis high school

Davis is a New York native that played basketball at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York. He averaged 26.5 points, eight rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his senior year and was named a 2020 McDonald's All-American, in addition to Mr. New York Basketball.

Davis was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and he was ranked No. 43 in ESPN's Class of 2020. He committed to the Tar Heels over offers from Georgetown, Marquette and Pittsburgh.

R.J. Davis stats

During his senior year, Davis averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 43.3% from the field and 41.1% on 3-pointers. Davis' 21.1 points per game leads the ACC this year.

He also passed Justin Jackson (105) for most three-pointers made in North Carolina single-season history with 106.

R.J. Davis awards

Davis was named the 2024 ACC Men’s Player of the Year in overwhelming fashion. Davis was also named to the 2024 First-team All-ACC team.

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis won ACC Coach of the Year, marking the first time the Tar Heels won both the conference's player and coach of the year award in the same season since former star forward Antawn Jamison and former coach Bill Guthridge in 1998.

Will R.J. Davis declare for NBA draft?

Davis has not declared for the NBA draft and has an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting his freshman year in the 2020-21 season.

How has R.J. Davis performed in NCAA Tournament?

• 3/16/24 – North Carolina vs. NC State, ACC Championship: Davis led all scorers with 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in Saturday's matchup against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, but it was not enough. The Tar Heels, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, lost 84-76.

• 3/21/24 – North Carolina vs. Wagner, NCAA Tournament first round: R.J. Davis had a game-high 22 points, two assists and one steal in the Tar Heels' 90-62 win over No. 16 Wagner. Davis went 8-for-13 from the field and 4-for-7 from three.

• 3/23/24 – North Carolina vs. Michigan State, NCAA Tournament second round: The Tar Heels, the West Region's No. 1 seed, completed a double-digit comeback to defeat No. 9 Michigan State, 85-69, in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 31st time in program history. Davis led all scorers on his team with 20 points, one assist and one rebound. He said head coach Hubert Davis' halftime speech "got us going." With the win, the Tar Heels are 6-0 all-time against the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament.

• 3/28/24 – North Carolina vs. Alabama, NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: North Carolina was defeated 89-87 by Alabama. Davis had 16 points, seven assists and two steals in the loss.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about R.J. Davis, North Carolina's senior star