Tag: Cormac Ryan

Notre Dame puts winning streak on line at Wake Forest

Like the Irish in this one?

The more Notre Dame wins, the more there’s a worry that a loss can derail the momentum. Hopefully, that won’t happen when it visits Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons already have beaten the Irish to 20 wins this season, so that alone should be a sign that now is not the time to step off the gas pedal. At the same time, the Irish have won three of their past four games against the ACC teams currently in the top six in the standings, so they at least have that going for them.

Cormac Ryan has started the past three games in part because of Nate Laszewski’s leg contusion. Ryan, one of the projected starters against the Deacons, is making the most of the opportunity. In the Irish’s two most recent games, Ryan is averaging 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. While he doesn’t need to keep putting up those numbers for the Irish to win this game, it certainly would help a lot.

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Notre Dame keeps rolling with road victory over Clemson

Another victory on the road.

As we get deeper into the season, it becomes more obvious that Notre Dame is not intimidated by anything. When Duke played and won before the Irish played their game at Clemson, the Blue Devils moved into first place outright in the ACC. The Irish had to beat the Tigers on their court to regain that first-place tie. They did just that to the tune of 76-61.

After facing a 3-2 deficit, the Irish (18-7, 11-3) never trailed again. They led by as much as 17 and had an answer every time the Tigers (12-13, 4-10) got any sort of momentum going. The Irish never let their lead shrink to less than seven points in the second half, although it never felt like they were ready to put the Tigers away until only a few minutes remained. If this is who the Irish are, they might want to work on going for the throat a little sooner before the regular season ends.

Blake Wesley was hot out of the gate, scoring 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half. In the second half, Dane Goodwin picked up where Wesley left off with 16 of his 20 points. Together, the two shot 8 of 11 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Cormac Ryan played a solid supporting role with 13 points.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame bounces back with road win over Miami

Back on track.

Notre Dame headed south to play a Miami team that has been pacing the ACC but not been ranked all season. Unlike against Duke, the Irish showed early on that they could stick with the Hurricanes, even get an upper hand on them. While they struggled to put away the game as they did when they beat Virginia, they ultimately got it done in a 68-64 win. The loss knocked the Hurricanes out of a tie for first in the ACC standings with the Blue Devils.

After a close first half, the Irish (15-7, 8-3) found another wind in the second half to put some distance between themselves and the Hurricanes (16-6, 8-3). They went on a 22-6 run to take a 14-point lead midway through the frame. In the final two minutes, the Hurricanes cut an eight-point deficit in half as they forced the Irish into some uncomfortable offensive sequences to keep this game more competitive than any Irish fan would have liked. Though they ultimately weren’t needed, two late free throws from Cormac Ryan helped seal the deal.

Paul Atkinson Jr. lived up to his reputation as an accurate shooter by going 11 of 16 from the field for a season-high 23 points to lead all scorers. He achieved a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds for the third time this season. Prentiss Hubb had 15 points, and Dane Goodwin bounced back from being shut out against the Blue Devils to score 14. Blake Wesley shot 20 percent or less for the fourth straight game (2 of 13 for 15.4 percent), but he led the Irish with seven assists.

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Watch: Prentiss Hubb talks Notre Dame playing at Howard, Mike Brey

Get to know the Irish point guard.

With Notre Dame having come alive over the past month, it only makes sense to get to know the players.

Recently, the athletic department’s YouTube channel began a series called “Irishography,” which highlights one member of the men’s basketball team. So far, the series has profiled Paul Atkinson Jr., Cormac Ryan and Dane Goodwin. Now, it’s Prentiss Hubb’s turn:

It’s nice to hear Hubb acknowledge the historical significance of the Irish’s game at Howard. Of course, he has to mention how it was a home game for him: He grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, which is slightly more than 20 miles from the Howard campus. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that.

It also is obvious he will hold Mike Brey in high regard for the rest of his life. College basketball players often see their coaches as father figures, and there is no exception here. Hopefully, that relationship will continue to grow after Hubb graduates.

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Notre Dame’s Cormac Ryan gives video shoutout to young fan

Think this kid is happy?

Thursday was Make Your Dream Come True Day, so Notre Dame decided it would make a few fans’ dreams come true. One such fan had it happen to him after his father tweeted the following:

Twenty-four hours later, the following video from Cormac Ryan was tweeted out:

And yes, his father expressed his gratitude in anticipation of his son’s day made:

Ryan probably wasn’t sure if we would make that much of an impression on somebody when he transferred to Notre Dame from Stanford, but that’s the case here. Hopefully before the season is over, these two will be able to meet in the flesh. Even if it doesn’t happen, this kid still will have this memory that will last him the rest of his life.

Ryan has started 10 of 15 games this season, though only one of those starts has come over the past six games. He is averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game.

Notre Dame survives late scare against North Carolina

Probably shouldn’t have been that close.

It’s true that many experts are down on the ACC this year. That doesn’t make Notre Dame want to beat the top teams in the conference any less, especially a program like North Carolina. The Irish had the Tar Heels on the ropes for much of the second half of their conference home opener and nearly let it slip away. Instead, they gladly will take their 78-73 victory.

The Irish (8-5, 2-1) extended a four-point halftime lead to as much as 13 in the second half. The Tar Heels (10-4, 2-1) slowly crawled back until they found themselves up by one with less than three-and-a-half minutes to go. The Irish finished the game on a 12-6 run, but some questionable decisions with the ball during that stretch allowed the Tar Heels to stick around longer than they probably should have. Mike Brey will be sure to remind his team that it might not be so lucky next time.

Nate Laszewski scored most of his Irish-leading 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and also had a team-high eight rebounds. Blake Wesley shot 8 of 18 from the field for 18 points, and Dane Goodwin scored 17 by shooting 7 of 11. Cormac Ryan added 11 points, and Prentiss Hubb dished out a game-high six assists.

Notre Dame has to battle to beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

The Irish got a battle some probably didn’t expect.

Notre Dame needed more than the effort it might have thought it needed to beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The matinee, which served as the final game before ACC play begins in earnest, could have spelled disaster if the Irish hadn’t realized what they were up against before it was too late. Instead, they’ll be happy to go into the holidays with an 83-73 win.

With a Trey Wertz injury shortening Mike Brey’s rotation to six players, the Irish (6-5) initially looked like they were on their way to giving the Islanders (10-3) a highlight of their season. They trailed by as much as nine in the first half, and a victory still was uncertain even as they battled back to take a five-point halftime lead.

Though the Islanders never regained the lead in the second half, they only had a two-point deficit with 6:45 to go. It took a 13-4 Irish run after that to finally put this game on ice.

Five of the Irish’s six players scored in double figures. Dane Goodwin led his team in scoring again with a game-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Blake Wesley scored 15 and tripled his previous assists high by recording nine. The Irish got 14 points apiece from Paul Atkinson Jr. and Cormac Ryan. Prentiss Hubb rounded out the double-digit scoring with 11.

The Irish also shot 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Notre Dame suffers first loss of season to St. Mary’s

Tough defeat for the Irish.

Notre Dame found itself playing in the best quarterfinal game at this year’s Maui Invitational in Las Vegas. With the Irish locked in a tight battle with St. Mary’s from the opening tip, it was inevitable that this game would come down to the wire. That’s exactly what happened, and it didn’t go the Irish’s way as they lost, 62-59. As a result, they fall into the losers bracket and will face Chaminade of Division II in their next game.

The Irish (2-1) held a 58-57 lead with under a minute to play when Dan Fotu hit a big 3-pointer to put the Gaels (5-0) back in front. Trey Wertz, who had made the free throws to give the Irish what turned out to be their final lead, then made a critical error when he stepped out of bounds on a drive.

After Tommy Kuhse missed the front end of a one-and-one, Cormac Ryan was fouled with seven seconds left. He split the free throws, forcing the Irish to foul Kuhse again. This time, Kuhse made both free throws, though the Irish still had a chance to send the game to overtime with a 3. Ryan was unable to hit a buzzer-beating shot from there, and that was it for the Irish’s Maui Invitational title hopes.

Fotu led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting over 22 minutes. Kuhse chipped in 14 points.

Ryan was the Irish’s top scorer with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Paul Atkinson Jr. scored 13 on 6-of-9 shooting, and Dane Goodwin scored 10.

Notre Dame roster for 2021-22 season

Who will be hooping it up for the Irish this season?

It feels like college basketball remains far away, but Midnight Madness just happened, so it’s closer than you think. To that end, we should look at who makes up Notre Dame’s roster for the upcoming season. Many believe this is the team that can get the program out of the doldrums and back on track towards respectability. A major step in getting people to believe that would be the Irish’s first NCAA Tournament selection since 2017, which also was the last year they finished above .500 against ACC opponents.

This will be the 22nd iteration of the Irish with Mike Brey as coach. Despite having more wins than anyone in program history, he has two losing seasons in the past three and three losing conference records over the past four years. If he isn’t able to get this group to reach its full potential, questions about his future in South Bend certainly will arise. Here are the players who could determine where both Brey and the program headed going forward:

Watch: Trey Wertz beats buzzer to win ACC Tourney opener for Notre Dame

When Trey Wertz transferred to Notre Dame from Santa Clara, even the most ardent Irish supporters probably didn’t know what to think of him.

When Trey Wertz transferred to Notre Dame from Santa Clara, even the most ardent Irish supporters probably didn’t know what to think of him. Would he make a major impact right away, or would he need time to adjust to a new system? The answer appears to be the latter as his numbers have declined almost across the board. But if nothing else, he’ll be remembered this season for hitting the buzzer beater that beat Wake Forest, 80-77, in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday:

Wertz had a great game, scoring 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line. The Irish (11-14, 7-11) also had a nice performance from Juwan Durham, who recorded his first double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds). Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan both scored 14.

Notre Dame losing to the lowly Demon Deacons (6-16, 3-15) would have raised serious questions about the program’s future. Most notably, the calls for Mike Brey’s ouster would continue to grow, and there would be doubts about the Irish’s ability to recruit. While those concerns might persist when the season ends, a 17-2 run to finish this win at least kicked the can down the road, if only for 24 hours. Best of all, Jack Nolan now has the chance to say his career ended when the Irish lost to a better program like North Carolina, their second-round opponent: