SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Maybe RJ Davis’ willingness to take a step back as a scorer can unlock North Carolina’s best pathway moving forward.
The fifth-year senior guard accepted more of a distributing role while chipping in with complementary scoring during the Tar Heels’ dramatic 74-73 defeat of Notre Dame on Saturday at Purcell Pavilion, a much-needed ACC basketball victory rescued by Elliot Cadeau’s decisive four-point play with 4.8 seconds remaining.
On an afternoon when Davis climbed past former teammate Armando Bacot for second place on UNC’s all-time scoring list, he attempted nine shots from the field and finished with eight points, both season lows in those categories. But he dished out a season-high seven assists, facilitating that helped the Tar Heels escape having earned an uplifting result, instead of suffering another deflating defeat…