RJ Davis speaks to the media after setting a Smith Center record with 42 points in a 75-71 win over Miami.
That whatever the hell I was just, I mean, easy question right off the rip, man. What the hell that is to you about? Um I don't know, I, I kind of felt good going to the game today. I had, uh, you know, my normal talk and normal prayer and just, um came out hot and I tell myself, like, just, I had a good first half, like not to keep up with guys, like continue to stay on it and um I was aggressive and the South were falling so it felt good, but it's all glory to God is just of how I just, you know, my career has been going since freshman year, but now just, just kind of staying down waiting my turn and for me to have a performance like that tonight. I just need to love me. Were you feeling some type of way at all? From, from the performance in Charlottesville? I know you had a bad game or whatever you wanted to bounce back from that. I mean, 100%. I mean, it just, you know, from the UB A game the way I shot the ball wasn't, you know, my best, probably like the worst, uh, offensive performance I had this season. But one thing about me, I believe in myself, um, and I believe in my work and coming to this game, I knew I was gonna be good in terms of shooting the ball and just kind of get back into my groove a little bit and, um, you know, kind of just, you know, forget that game a little bit, have a short term in the game and that's stretch in the second half for threes and fives because that three minutes, what kind of, what's it like to in that, in a stretch like that where the ball just going in with? Does that happen a lot or is that something when you in your career, you feel like a moment like that? I mean, I'm just locked in and just confident myself in my side. I mean, just, and just, I'm also getting open like my teammate does a good job of setting screens and, uh, finding me, uh, to make these shots once I get my groove like that, it feels like I can't miss, uh, for me to go. I mean, I feel like I could have had 50 but, uh, I miss free throws and whatnot, but I mean, I just felt good. Just the ball felt good. The Sos felt good. I mean, because I felt great RJ when he hit that last three, he turned around and stay there. Stay with his hands on his head. How cool was that moment? Now that was, that was cool. Just to see him jumping up and down. Like I was just looking at the crowd at first and I saw Elliott. So then my, uh, attention directed towards him. But, um, like stuff like that, like you see Elliott all along that I make three of them. Just that excitement and that love the chemistry of this team and just, you know, they, we're rooting for each other and after I hit that three, it just, I felt good and kind of speechless and I don't think I had to hit yet what I done tonight, but pretty. So I did anyone tell you the last time he would hit 40 they said not Harrison Barnes. I was there in 2011 and overtime. The last one to do a regular. That's crazy. I don't think it's been done like here. Right. Yeah. Yeah, that's crazy. Great, great, great school population. Yeah, I got a sense of the nose. I always get nose bleeds and I got hit and then you, uh, Jy, obviously. Yeah, that's actually why. And, you know, one thing about Mondo, he's like, you know, he's an unselfish player and unselfish teammate. So he did a good job of setting screens for me, but then also sing under the basket for myself to get into the lane and finish and I just did a good job of uh you know, setting my main level and I come up for all ball screens, I got a lot of floaters and uh mid ranges and uh threes want to have a game like this moment. Did you envision that would give me this year, the arena chanting your name. Dropping career highs. Has it hit you? I mean, I've envisioned the way I've been like the way I wanted to have the way of the year I wanted to have and who I've been playing, but I didn't envision like the crowd changing my name and whatnot. But I mean, I think that just all comes with, you know, just staying in the gym, staying down, waiting your turn and staying confident. Um I definitely, I definitely have of a, um, an amazing career here from, you know, freshman year up until now. So just to see my progression throughout the years and for me to have like a great year of my senior and kind just speaking into existence and it's happening for me. So I'm happy, what was that locker room celebration like when you ran in? Uh, it was great. I mean, they got me on the court. I mean, I'm like soaking wet right now. I felt like I got hit with a bucket. But, um, I mean, it was just fun, just, you know, full of excitement and joy. Um They play like one of my favorite songs and so it was lit and I mean, they actually got me in water in my eyes so I couldn't even see. So, but it was, it was straight. That was good. Uh, bent. You probably wouldn't go RJ a lot of signs after the game from fans c player of the year. And you know, that's circulating around just what do you think this game does for you in that conversation? I mean, hopefully, hopefully just uh what stands out with everyone, with everyone saying, um and just, uh you know what one thing about me is that I'm not gonna pay too much attention to what's being said and, you know, for me, it's all about team and winning and as long as we're doing that, I think everything else would be taken care of. Um But hopefully, uh this game, this game, you know, stands for something that makes the really important week, last week in the tournament. What is it you need to do to take that step up? Uh We got to do a bad job of just closing out the games. I got to make free throws and um just do a better job of just because we had a 10 point lead and then we kind of let them back into the game. So, and stuff like that, especially in Mars, like we, we might lose that game. So, um we gotta go back to the drawing board like, yes, I, I had a great game. I had 42. But at the same time, we had a lot of, um, points that we just gave up. I feel, uh, turnovers, we had turnovers back to back. Um, so little stuff like that, we got like, kind of eliminate so we could be better in March. Did you recognize at some point that you had to carry things? And if so about, when was that? Um, I won't say carry but more so just be who I am and just be aggressive. Um, it was just, you know, everything shot every, every time I shot the ball, I felt like it was gonna win. So, um, but I know I would go into the second half, like I didn't wanna shy away from being aggressive, attacking the basket looking for my shot. Um, because in the second, in the first half, I was doing good at, um, creating for myself against the rim and stuff like that. So once the second half just having that same mindset and it was just carried over to, was it a different than some other, I'll probably say a different on a week. Um, because I unlocked my new career high today. Yeah, but I mean, everything just felt easy today. My sos were in rhythm. I felt in rhythm. I was efficient. So that, that's also a great thing. So, I mean, everything just felt like it was like a good flow for me. I broke my own ankle. Do you that on that particular play that he was helpless and he was like a shot. He was on the three. Yeah, he was on you and then he was in a puddle essentially. Yeah. I mean, that's, that's like one move I work on all the time and, um, like for my size and I know, like Matthew Cleveland has a lot of length so it's just kind of giving that little twitch a little bit just to create some space. I know it's gonna knock it down because I work in that move all the time and every day. So I know it was good. What kind of things have you noticed in the last four minutes of this game?