WATCH: Johnell Davis hilariously curses on TV following record-setting night
Johnell Davis propelled his Florida Atlantic Owls to a 78-70 victory on Sunday night in his team’s second round matchup in the NCAA Tournament against the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. While the Knights made college basketball history just a few days before with their 63-58 stunning upset victory over the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers, Davis had a historic performance of his own on Sunday night. He became the first player in NCAA Tournament history with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in one game. In his team’s 78-70 victory, Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Following the historic performance, he had a hilarious interview with Jamie Erdahl in which he cursed on live television, something that will undoubtedly live in TruTV lore.
Check out the clip below. There’s also the transcribed version of the full interview below if you wanted to read that.
“My team just believed in me at the end. I just said, ‘Let me get the ball. I’m gonna take over.’ Then Erdahl asked him if he was trying to prove himself. That’s when Davis cursed on live television. “Yeah, a lot. I’ve been trying to prove this s***t since day one.” He immediately realized his mistake and said, “Ohh,” patting his chest to apologize.
That’s when Jamie Erdahl stepped in and handled the situation like a pro. “That’s alright. It happens to all of us. We’re on TruTV, man.”
Davis continued, “I’ve been trying to prove this since day one. Just put the work in. Everybody on our team put the work in. It just shows.”
He spoke about what it felt like to put up such a historic performance on the massive national stage that is March Madness.
“Thank you. That just feels amazing. My team just believed in me. That’s all,” Davis said. The superstar then got to let everyone know that he gets to fulfill a lifelong dream by playing the Sweet 16 in Madison Square Garden, one of the most famous basketball arenas in the world. “It’s just a dream come true. We just gotta [do] whatever our coaches tell us to do when we go play the other team,” Davis said.
Finally, he discussed all the work and improvement he’s had over the past year. His head coach gave him an article showing him the different things that he needed to improve on in his game.
“I’m really just trying to get my family a home. Trying to feed my family. That’s all,” Davis said.
It was a masterful performance by the superstar, and it certainly won’t be forgotten by college basketball fans anytime soon. The funny part is many people may remember him even more for his hilarious interview after the game.
It’s the first Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history for the Florida Atlantic Owls. This year’s tournament is just the second time the school has ever made the NCAA Tournament. The last time they made it was in 2002, when they lost their first-round matchup to Alabama.
FAU will face the No. 4 seed, the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 23rd at Madison Square Garden in New York City.