Tag: Cormac Ryan

‘He’s 27’: Duke signee Isaiah Evans takes a swipe at UNC’s Cormac Ryan

During media sessions for the McDonald’s All-American Game, Duke signee Isaiah Evans reminded some future Tar Heels how old Cormac Ryan really is.

Isaiah Evans won’t need any practice adopting the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.

The five-star Duke signee, who was named North Carolina’s Mr. Basketball for the second straight year this season, turned heads by jawing some fans in Tar Heels merch at one of his high school games.

Earlier this week, during media sessions for the McDonald’s All-American Game, it was Cormac Ryan.

Ryan, a fifth-year senior and a Tar Heels starter this season, scored 31 points and made six 3-pointers in the regular-season finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season. He’s also 25 years old, having begun his playing career with Stanford in the 2018-19 season, a detail Evans does not forget.

In a short social media clip shared earlier this week, UNC commit Drake Powell tried to remind Evans of Ryan’s performance. The future Blue Devil had none of it.

“Cormac Ryan, is he not a pro in your eyes?” Powell asked.

“He’s 27, bro, that’s what he is,” Evans responded quickly.

Evans and Flagg will get the chance to square off with Powell, UNC commit Ian Jackson, and the Tar Heels next season.

A classy Cormac Ryan stood up for teammate RJ Davis after a brutal Sweet 16 loss for North Carolina

UNC’s Cormac Ryan showed outstanding maturity following March Madness.

Despite a devastating loss, North Carolina Tar Heels senior Cormac Ryan showed outstanding maturity following the Sweet 16.

Although they were a No. 1 regional seed in the West, the Tar Heels were eliminated by Alabama in March Madness on Thursday night in Los Angeles. North Carolina lost, 89-87, in a close match against the Crimson Tide.

Following the game, UNC’s RJ Davis was asked about his performance on the court. Davis had 16 points but struggled with his efficiency, shooting 4-of-20 from the field and 0-for-9 on his 3-pointers.

Ryan noticed that Davis was having a difficult time answering the question, so he helped him out. It showed an incredible amount of thoughtfulness.

Here is what Ryan told reporters:

“I gotta chime in here. You guys can write whatever you want about tonight’s game. You can talk about RJ. You can talk about the stats. You can talk about whatever. But we would not be in this position today without RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. Carolina wouldn’t be in this position today without these two guys and so say what you want. There’s just not a true fiber in your being that could actually believe that anything that happened tonight could be the result of something RJ did wrong because RJ’s done something incredible for this team. He’s done stuff that’s never been done before. He’s one of the greatest Tar Heels of all time. For anybody to come and say anything negative about RJ is unacceptable.”

Those are incredibly strong words from Ryan and likely meant a lot to Davis.

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PHOTOS: Tar Heels lose in heartbreaker to Alabama in Sweet 16

We take a look at the photos from UNC’s March Madness loss to Alabama.

The UNC men’s basketball program dance ends in the Sweet 16, losing devastatingly to Alabama.

It wasn’t the ending Tar Heel fans hoped for, getting cold at the wrong time. In the first period, UNC was scoring at ease, hitting ten triples. A lot had to do with[autotag] Cormac Ryan’s[/autotag] hot shooting, who was responsible for four of those three-pointers.

UNC led it 54-46 at the half, in a game that felt like was there’s. However, the second half showed otherwise, with the Tar Heels shooting historically bad (25%), their lowest since 2012 in the elite 8. They also couldn’t stop Grant Nelson, who was everywhere for Alabama.

Ultimately, UNC season ends in heartbreak. In case you missed it, here are the best photos from the game.

WATCH: Cormac Ryan stands up for RJ Davis and Armando Bacot

Watch Cormac Ryan stand up for RJ Davis and Armando Bacot during the presser following their March Madness loss to Alabama.

The UNC men’s basketball program season came to a bitter end, losing in heartbreak fashion to Alabama in the Sweet 16.

Everything that could’ve gone wrong for the Tar Heels did in the second half, shooting 25% (tied for third lowest in a NCAA tournament half in UNC history). UNC couldn’t buy a bucket with leader [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag] struggling, going 4-20 from the field and 0-9 from three, the usual flame couldn’t get a spark.

Following the loss, the team met with the media in the presser, and Davis was asked about his shooting struggles. After a few pauses, Davis struggled to answer, and that is where [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] interrupted, giving a heartfelt speech about Davis and [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] being the reason UNC made it to the tournament in the first place.

 

Ryan showcased leadership and echoed the truth. Davis had one of the most memorable seasons a Tar Heel ever has, proving doubters wrong one step back at a time. It’s hard to see Bacot’s career end without the championship, but his Tar Heel legacy is stamped.

There’s no telling if Davis will be back next season, but if that’s how the story ends, it will be worth the read decades from now.

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Cormac Ryan earns ACC Player of Week honors

UNC basketball guard Cormac Ryan earned ACC Player of the Week honors after a big performance against Duke.

North Carolina guard Cormac Ryan put on a show in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night, helping the Tar Heels take down Duke 84-79 to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title outright.

And a few days later, he’s being recognized for his play.

Ryan earned his first ACC Player of the Week honor of the year for his performance in two games this past week. The guard averaged 22.5 points per game in the wins over Duke and Notre Dame. That included averaging four three-pointers made per game in the two showings.

In the win over Duke, Ryan went 8-for-12 from the floor, 6-for-8 from three and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. The 31 points was the most by a UNC player against Duke since Antawn Jamison scored 35.

Pitt guard Carlton Carrington was named the ACC Rookie of the Week. It’s the fourth time Carrington earned the honors.

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Cormac Ryan delivers career night in UNC’s win over Duke

Cormac Ryan delivers a career night in UNC’s win over Duke, including tying a Hubert Davis record.

To have a Tar Heel legacy game is never easy, but to do it in the final game, against your arch-rival in enemy territory is simply special.

That’s exactly what [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] did, delivering a career night and helping UNC sweep Duke off their court. Ryan finished with a career-high 31 points, including six threes (75%), playing a significant part in the victory. His six threes tie Hubert Davis for the most made in a single game by Tar Heel when playing in Cameron Indoor.

“He was huge. Obviously, his ability to be able to make shots, but just as important (was) his experience,” Davis said after the game. “Having a guy that’s been at this stage, even though was from another school, he’s played here. He’s been on the stage, he understands what it takes in order to make plays to even have a chance to win in this type of game against this type of team.”

The extraordinary performance is on the Heels of Ryan’s big game against his former team, where he finished with 14 points, shooting 40% from three. Ryan became the seventh Tar Heel to score 30 or more points at Duke, joining Davis, Luke Maye, Billy Cunningham, Doug Moe, Lennie Rosenbluth, and Michael Jordan per the school.

Ryan also got it done at the free throw line, finishing with a career-high nine makes in 10 attempts. Simply put, it was a remarkable performance by Ryan, who delivered when UNC counted on him.

“He did step up knocking down threes, but defensively, his presence, his poise,” Davis said. “His leadership in the huddles, during halftime (and) before the game. It’s just meant so much to this team and this program.”

If Ryan can continue this type of play during the NCAA tournament, cutting the nets could be in the future.

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Tar Heels sweep Duke, clinch ACC regular-season title behind Cormac Ryan’s huge night

It’s always a sweet night when UNC beats Duke. The Tar Heels did that Saturday – IN Durham – and clinched the ACC Regular Season title.

For the first time since 2019, the UNC men’s basketball team clinched the regular-season ACC Title outright.

And to make it sweeter, they did so against Duke – inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Behind a career performance for Cormac Ryan, who forever etched his name into the storied Tobacco Road Rivalry with a 31-point performance, North Carolina downed the hated Blue Devils by an 84-79 mark.

After getting swept last year by Duke, the Tar Heels (27-6, 18-3) won both matchups this season – and in dominant fashion. Outside of the first 36 seconds of the Feb. 3 UNC-Duke battle, North Carolina NEVER trailed in the rivalry series this year.

Just like Round One, the Tar Heels bolted out to a massive lead in the first half that stretched to as many as 15 points. Cormac Ryan hit a couple of quick threes and played a consistent game throughout, leading all scorers with 31 points.

The Blue Devils then began to climb back in during the second, just like every rivalry clash. They came out of the locker room firing and took advantage of several UNC defensive lapses, particularly behind the play of tripster Kyle Filipowski.

North Carolina made the necessary adjustments and started making shots, such as Elliot Cadeau’s heave with the shot clock expiring late in the game. Tar Heel Nation gritted its teeth as Duke made things interesting in the final seconds, but North Carolina wasn’t going to be denied a chance to finish the sweep of its biggest rival – IN Durham.

The final buzzer sounded, the Tar Heels taunted the Cameron Crazies and walked off the floor ACC Champions.

A look into Cormac Ryan’s last home game at UNC against his old team

A look into Cormac Ryan’s last home game at UNC against his former team, his calm demeanor and a special moment with UNC great Larry Brown.

The UNC men’s basketball program secured at least a share of the ACC regular season championship after a dominating performance on senior night against Notre Dame.

As all the attention went to celebrating the legacies Armando Bacot and RJ Davis will leave behind, rightfully so, one Tar Heel senior not only got his flowers but also a win over his former team. [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] has been a star transfer for UNC after being a thorn in their heels for the past three years as a member of the fighting Irish.

Ryan finished with 14 points and five rebounds in the 81-54 blowout, delivering a final blow to his former team. However, it wasn’t his play on the court that stood out the most. Instead, it was his calm demeanor. During the press conference, I asked Hubert Davis about Ryan’s stellar performance against his old team, and his answer echoed Ryan’s approach to the game.

“That’s the sad part for me is I only get to coach him for one year. You know what he brought to this team, to this program. In just one year he has left a legacy by the person he is, the player and teammate he is. Usually it’s somewhat emotional playing your former team but I think there were very few guys from the team he was on at Notre Dame, so it’s almost irrelevant, kind of playing against a new team. But Cormac’s always locked in. He’s our guy. The voice in the locker room, in the huddle, on the court. And he had everybody focused on what was most important for us and that was to get a win tonight.”

The moment was even sweeter in the player locker room scrimmage following the game, with UNC great Larry Brown congratulating Ryan, and sharing a special moment.

I asked Ryan about his emotions going against his former team and how it felt to be out there, and his answer perfectly highlighted what Davis said in the presser.

“I gotta love for Notre Dame…They got a really good team and they are going to be good for years to come…I’m glad we handled our business and got the win…I was excited, I knew what was at stake for us, we had lofty goals this year, and getting a piece of the regular season title was definitely one of them. Being senior night is the last time I play on this court, just soaking it all in and enjoying the moment.”

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Notre Dame annihilated by North Carolina in worst loss of season

Glad this one is over with.

North Carolina hopes to win a national championship, and it didn’t care how well Notre Dame played lately before Tuesday’s game. While the Irish weren’t expected to beat the Tar Heels, there was at least the hope that they could make it a game as they have every game for the past few weeks. Instead, the Tar Heels dealt the Irish their worst defeat of the season, 84-51, to clinch a share of the ACC regular-season title.

Even though the Irish (12-18, 7-12) never led, there was a brief moment in which it appeared they might actually go in front of the Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3). They kept it close during the first 11 minutes of the first half, culminating a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from Markus Burton. But Burton didn’t get the friendly roll, and the floodgates opened from there.

After Burton’s miss, the Tar Heels outscored the Irish, 23-9, before halftime. The break in the action did nothing for the Irish as the Tar Heels scored 16 unanswered points over the first five minutes of the second half. From there, it was just a big senior night party in Chapel Hill for the departing players who were playing their final home game.

Leading ACC scorer RJ Davis played his part with 22 points as well as a game-high six assists. Armando Bacot, the conference’s top rebounder, had 14 points and was one of four Tar Heels with five boards. Former Irish guard Cormac Ryan scored 14 of his own points, and two other Tar Heels off the bench also reached double figures.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] being the only Notre Dame player in double figures with 11 points said it all. Still, even if the Irish had made more than 18 field goals and shot better than 30.5% from the field, it’s unlikely they could have done much to stop the Tar Heels, who are on a level with the best teams in college basketball.

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UNC Basketball vs. Notre Dame: Game preview, prediction and more

Tuesday will be the last time Armando Bacot ever dons a UNC basketball jersey in Chapel Hill. Will it be the same for RJ Davis?

And just like that, college basketball season is coming to a close.

The regular-season portion, that is. Conference tournaments start this week, then on Tuesday, March 19 – March Madness.

Riding a 4-game win streak, the first-place UNC men’s basketball team is in a solid position. The Tar Heels struggled with weekday losses last month, but a rare victory at UVA changed their course.

Tuesday will mark a sad day for North Carolina, though, as it celebrates Senior Night. That means the last-ever home games for Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan, so there’s bound to be extra motivation to win.

Notre Dame continues to struggle in its first year without Mike Brey, though the Fighting Irish are on a mini, 2-game winning streak. They’ve beaten two solid teams in Wake Forest and Clemson, looking to grab a third in Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.

UNC survived a scare from NC State over the weekend, as the Wolfpack built an 8-point halftime lead behind hot shooting. The Tar Heels came out of the locker room a completely different team, as it forced 15 straight missed from NC State at one point.

Though North Carolina is in position for a strong seed in the Big Dance, Tuesday could easily qualify as a trap game. If the Tar Heels aren’t careful, Saturday’s game against Duke will decide the ACC Tournament’s top seed.