“This being a team with no identity”: RJ Davis has no help at UNC, NCAA analyst details Tar Heels’ shortcomings

The North Carolina Tar Heels, who entered the year as the preseason No. 9, have fallen from relevancy this season. UNC is currently 14-11 and seventh in ACC conference play (7-6) following their 20-point defeat (85-65) against No. 23 Clemson on Monday.

Analyst and former basketball player Jerel McNeal reflected on the Tar Heels' shortcomings in a Monday night episode of "The Field of 68: After Dark."

"It starts with this being a team with, I mean, really no identity," McNeal said.

McNeal went on to argue that the players on coach Hubert Davis' UNC team aren't "locked in" and that star senior guard RJ Davis lacks support.

"You can shoot RJ Davis in for 15 to 20 points, but we've been able to do that the last couple years and it hasn't been this way," McNeal said.

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UNC has lost three of its last five games, with two of these losses being by more than 15 points. As the Tar Heels look ahead to the rest of conference play, McNeal says they don't have answers to fix their underwhelming season.

"It just looks like a team that's wandering aimlessly to me," McNeal said. "They don't have answers. They can't find answers."

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RJ Davis leading a less-than-ideal Tar Heels team

Jerel McNeal identified unsuccessful guard play as one of UNC's main issues and argued that even though RJ Davis leads the team, he's having one of the worst shooting seasons of his career.

Davis has spent the entirety of his five-season college career with the Tar Heels and has been a consistent starter since his sophomore year. He has been a dominant force for the historic basketball program, helping guide UNC to a 2022 NCAA tournament championship game appearance.

In 2024 alone, the senior guard was named ACC Player of the Year, was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Jerry West Award, given to the top shooting guard in Division I men's basketball.

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However, in his final year at the University, Davis hasn't experienced the same level of success. He's averaging the lowest 3-point percentage of his career at 31.9%, and his 40.7% field-goal percentage is his lowest since his freshman season.

Despite the dip in his stats, the senior guard is still the star of this UNC squad. He averages 17.4 points per game, the second most of his college career, and has increased his assists and rebounds from last season.

As McNeal explained, Davis is the leader of the Tar Heels, but the team remains without answers in its unsuccessful season.