RJ Davis keeps UNC basketball, Tar Heels in March Madness mix with win at Florida State

Posted by author February 25, 2025 Basketball

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UNC basketball still has work to do if it wants to make the NCAA Tournament, but RJ Davis and the Tar Heels are staying in the mix for March Madness by stringing together wins.

With a 96-85 victory Monday at Florida State (16-12, 7-9 ACC), UNC (18-11, 11-6) has won four games in a row for just the second time this season.

Davis scored 20 points as one of six Tar Heels in double figures, leading his group to its third straight victory by double-digits. Seth Trimble (17 points), Jae’Lyn Withers (11 points), Ven-Allen Lubin (10 points) Elliot Cadeau (10 points) and Jalen Washington (10 points) joined Davis with double-digit points to score the most points against FSU this season.

As of Monday night, UNC is included in seven of 97 bracket projections on Bracket Matrix, meaning the Heels have to keep winning for a chance to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. They play Saturday at home against Miami (6-21, 2-14) and March 4 at Virginia Tech (12-15, 7-9) before wrapping up the regular season against No. 2 Duke (24-3, 15-1).

Here’s what stood on in UNC’s win at FSU.

Ven-Allen Lubin, UNC basketball rack up offensive rebounds, second-chance points

UNC had a season-high 24 second-chance points on Monday, pulling down 13 offensive rebounds. Ven-Allen Lubin led that effort, grabbing a team-best four offensive boards. Lubin finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Tar Heels out-rebounded FSU, the fourth-tallest team in the nation, by 14 as eight UNC players finished with multiple rebounds.

RJ Davis, Seth Trimble shut down FSU’s comeback bid in second half

RJ Davis and Seth Trimble combined to score 25 of UNC’s 47 points in the second half, responding each time FSU cut into the Tar Heel lead. Davis scored 13 points in the second half and Trimble added 12. Both had efficient overall games, combining to make 11 of 19 shots and 10 of 12 free throws. Davis added five assists and no turnovers.

Cade Tyson, Jalen Washington shine off bench in key stretch for Tar Heels

UNC trailed by three points with just over six minutes left in the first half. From that point, the Tar Heels used a 16-5 run to take an eight-point lead with just over a minute until halftime. Cade Tyson and Jalen Washington combined for 11 of those points, providing UNC a boost off the bench. The Tar Heels had a 23-9 advantage in bench points at halftime and led 49-43.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.