R.J. Davis of White Plains is bringing his 'A' game for North Carolina to the Sweet 16

PHILADELPHIA – The guard talent assembled at the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional is off the charts, from Purdue sophomore All-American Jaden Ivey and UCLA junior Tyger Campbell – a first-team All-Pac-12 selection – to players like Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert of Saint Peter’s, two of the most underrated guards in the country.

And then there’s R.J. Davis, with the North Carolina sophomore having established himself among March Madness’ most important players, not just playmakers, over the past week.

The While Plains native had 12 assists, second-most ever by a Tar Heel in the NCAA Tournament, in a first-round beatdown of Marquette, before saving the day with 30 points in an overtime takedown of No. 1 Baylor.

Now the eighth-seeded Tar Heels take on No. 4 UCLA in a Sweet 16 showdown Friday night (9:39 p.m.) at Wells Fargo Center.

“He has done a terrific job,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Thursday. “He is a guard. He’s not a point guard or a shooting guard. He can play off the ball or with the ball in his hands, but we really like the ball in his hands because he consistently makes good decisions. He has a great understanding of when to pass and when to shoot. And he gets his players involved and gets them the ball in the right spots.

“Last week, in the first game against Marquette he had 12 assists, and the next game he knew he needed to be more aggressive on the offensive end and he ended up having 30. So that versatility as a guard, it’s just valuable to us.”

The 6-0 sophomore has been building toward this moment for the better part of two months. He bounced back from an 0-for-10 shooting night against Virginia on Jan. 6 with 21 points against George Tech in their next game. And his 21-point, five-rebound, four-assist performance keyed their win at Duke to close the regular season.

The numbers are growing, just like they did at Archbishop Stepinac High School, where Davis broke former Boston College star Danya Abrams' county record with 2,446 career points. The McDonald’s All-American averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a senior.

Now Davis takes the biggest stage of his career, facing a difficult assignment as the Tar Heels try to contain Campbell, averaging 16 points and 4.5 assists in two NCAA Tournament games. He scored 14 points in the Bruins’ win over Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament final.

“I think the other area he’s gotten a lot better at is defensively,” Hubert Davis said. “One of the things that I talked to him about is because of his size he can be a factor on the defensive end. I wanted opposing teams to talk about him in their scouting report and I think he has taken that challenge and done a better job defensively and he is having a terrific season.”

Sparking the Tar Heels’ run has been a growing chemistry between Davis and 6-4 sophomore guard Caleb Love, with the two comprising a formidable backcourt tandem.

“We compliment each other well,” Davis said. “Both of us can score the ball at a high level, and a lot of (Love’s) game is that he doesn’t fear anyone. He’s very confident… I think that’s something we both have in common, we have confidence in each other.”

Added Love: “We just play off of each other. I find him, he finds me, I know where he likes the ball on the court, and I’m always looking for him in transition. In half court I always know where he is at, because he can shoot it.”

A year ago, Davis’ first foray in the NCAA Tournament ended quickly, as the Tar Heels absorbed a 23-point loss at the hands of Wisconsin in the opening round, with Davis coming off the bench to score five points.

But now it’s Davis playing a key role for a North Carolina team that’s playing its best basketball when it matters most.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: R.J. Davis of White Plains NY playing in Sweet 16 for North Carolina