CHAPEL HILL – For the first time since 2019, UNC basketball has won at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship.
The seventh-ranked Tar Heels defeated Notre Dame 84-51 on Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center, where RJ Davis scored 22 points, in what may be his final home game at UNC.
UNC (24-6, 16-3 ACC) heads to No. 9 Duke (24-6, 15-4) on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN) for the regular season finale.
With a win in Durham, the Tar Heels will be the outright ACC regular-season champions for the first time since 2017, a season that ended with the program winning its sixth NCAA title.
Here’s what happened in UNC’s home finale against Notre Dame (12-18, 7-12) and what it means moving forward.
RJ Davis performs show for Smith Center crowd
If this was his finale at the Smith Center, RJ Davis gave the UNC crowd another show with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including four three-pointers. Davis averaged 22.2 points per game in the first 14 home games. Davis, the favorite to win ACC Player of the Year, continues to show he is one of the best players in the country.
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Cormac Ryan needs to keep knocking down shots
Of the seven players honored on Senior Night, UNC guard Cormac Ryan enjoyed a solid shooting effort in his first game against his former school. Ryan finished with 14 points, draining two 3-pointers and knocking down four of six free throws.
UNC is 12-4 when Ryan knocks down multiple 3s and UNC is 10-0 when Ryan attempts more than four free throws. UNC needs this type of consistent effort in the postseason if the Tar Heels are going to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Harrison Ingram’s scoring before the Duke game
Harrison Ingram’s offense is on the rise heading into the postseason. After scoring a career-high 22 points against NC State, Ingram filled the stat sheet with nine points and six rebounds in the first half as UNC took a 16-point lead into the locker room against the Irish. He finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Ingram has reached double figures in seven of the last nine games. He has had double-digit rebounds in six of those games.
Staff writer Rod Baxley can be contacted at[email protected] Or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
