Is RJ Davis playing today? Exploring North Carolina guard's availability ahead of ACC clash vs Duke

North Carolina guard RJ Davis will be available for the game against the No.1 Duke Blue Devils on Friday in the semifinal of the ACC Tournament. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center.

On Thursday, Davis played an important role in the No. 5 Tar Heels' qualification to the semifinal of the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels defeated the No.4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 68–59.

The guard led with 23 points, one assist and three rebounds, scoring the highest point for his team in the game and edging it closer to securing an automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament.

Following the win, North Carolina coach Hubert Davis hailed the guard's performance and called him a leader in the postmatch press conference.

"Well, yeah, there is urgency because he has no more eligibility left," Davis said. "But there's also a sense of calmness and steadiness that this team has needed all year long, especially in situations like late game.

"Having a guy like RJ that's been there, done that before and being able to draw on his experience and how calm he is and be able to execute under pressure, just helps out our team so much. You have to have people, you have to have leaders like that on the team, and I can't think of anyone better than that, than RJ."

Davis is averaging 17.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 40.9 FG% per game this season. He has been a star player for the Tar Heels and will be expected to lead them when they face the Duke Blue Devils.

NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Quarterfinal - Wake Forest vs North Carolina - Source: Imagn

RJ Davis sends a strong warning to Duke

Ahead of the North Carolina ACC semifinal clash with the Duke Blue Devils on Friday, star player RJ Davis sent a strong warning to the team.

In a postgame interview on the court, Davis sent a clear message to Cooper Flagg, Jon Scheyer and the Duke team, setting the tone for their highly anticipated upcoming matchup.

“This is who we wanted. They got us two times, so third time’s the charm, let’s do it,” Davis said.

North Carolina lost twice to the Blue Devils this season and will be looking to get back at its rivals. The Tar Heels also have an advantage heading to the game following the news of Duke star Cooper Flagg getting injured in their 78–70 victory over No. 8 Georgia Tech in Thursday's Game 8 quarterfinal clash.