Tag: Cormac Ryan

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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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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.

How to watch Armando Bacot’s last game in Chapel Hill

On Tuesday, March 5, the UNC men’s basketball team plays at the Dean Dome for the last time this season. It’ll be exciting and bittersweet.

While Tuesday, March 5 provides the UNC men’s basketball team another golden opportunity to clinch the ACC’s top seed, as it welcomes Notre Dame to town, the focus might be moreso on a sad milestone.

Armando Bacot, who’s etched his name in the program history books and should have his jersey in the rafters down the road, will be playing in his final home game. It seems like Bacot has been a Tar Heel forever, but that forever must end.

Cormac Ryan will also be playing his final home game in a North Carolina uniform. He’s provided UNC with a highly-sought-after perimeter shooting option, strong defense and a player who’s style is so easy to fall in love with.

The Tar Heels have started to pick things back up in recent weeks, winning each of their past four games since losing to Syracuse. UNC’s defense has looked much better – at times – while players seem to really be embracing the fact they’re heading back to the NCAA Tournament.

If you can’t make it to tomorrow’s Senior Night game, you’ll be able to catch it on the ACC Network. North Carolina’s success this year has landed itself several national television games, but Tuesday’s 7 p.m. ESPN slot is being occupied by Florida-Alabama.

UNC-NC STATE TV, RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

WHAT: UNC (23-6, 15-3 ACC) vs. Notre Dame (12-17, 7-11)

WHEN: Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.

TV: ACC Network (Watch and stream the game live on ESPN)

ANNOUNCERS: Joel Berry II, Wes Durham, Luke Hancock, Kelsey Riggs, Taylor Tannebaum

RADIO: Tar Heel Sports Network. Jones Angell, play-by-play;
Brian Simmons, analyst.

SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM (193 or 385)

WEBSITE: WatchESPN

Cormac Ryan delivers when Tar Heels needed him most

Cormac Ryan was an offensive bright spot in an otherwise ugly game for UNC on Saturday afternoon, scoring 18 points in the win at UVA.

Anytime you play against the UVA men’s basketball team, you’re not going to be scoring a bunch of points.

Such was the case for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday afternoon, who suffered through arguably their worst offensive output on the season.

Despite shooting only 32 percent from the field against the Cavaliers, UNC won in Charlottesville, 54-44, for the first time since Feb. 25, 2012.

What North Carolina missed in offensive production from nearly its entire team on Saturday, it received big-time from starting small forward Cormac Ryan. The Notre Dame transfer scored in double-digits for the third-consecutive game, dropping 18 points by knocking down six threes.

Ryan scored 15 of his 18 before the half, perhaps the greatest reason UNC led at this point. If Ryan hadn’t exploded offensively, the Tar Heels could’ve easily finished the game under 50 points.

After going four consecutive games without hitting the 10-point mark, Ryan is finding his shooting stroke at the right time. The more scoring contributions North Carolina can get from players in addition to RJ Davis and Armando Bacot, the better position it’ll be in for postseason play.

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Social media reacts to Tar Heels getting big win over Virginia

Saturday afternoon wasn’t pretty, but the UNC men’s basketball team beat UVA in a low-scoring game that helped it re-claim first in the ACC.

Anytime the Virginia men’s basketball team steps on the court, fans know whoever it plays is going to be an ugly game.

The North Carolina Tar Heels spent their Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. Many wondered if they’d be UVA’s next victim, succumbing to the Cavaliers’ pace that’s slower than Davis Ortiz trying to round the bases.

UNC didn’t play great offensively, highlighted by leading RJ Davis shooting a season-worst 1-of-14 from the field, but locked UVA down defensively in a crucial, 54-44 victory that moved it into sole place of first place in the ACC.

Cormac Ryan played offensive hero for North Carolina (21-6, 13-3), leading his team with 18 points on six made 3-pointers. Armando Bacot dealt with first-half foul trouble, but still registered a double-double in his sixth-consecutive contest.

The Cavaliers (20-8, 11-6) climbed back into Saturday’s rivarly tilt late, closing their deficit to 47-42 with just under two minutes to go, but Harrison Ingram drained his next shot to give the Tar Heels (21-6, 13-3) a much-needed cushion. Just like the first half in which it shot 5-for-30 from the field, UVA went cold late and sealed the UNC victory.

Odds didn’t favor North Carolina, which plays at a Lightning McQueen-fast pace, as it hadn’t won at UVA since Feb. 25, 2012. Saturday was going to be a game that determined how good the Tar Heels were – could it not only win in a tough, road environment, but weather long stretches of snail-like pace?

The Cavaliers aren’t going to score many points, due to their pace of play, but Saturday was super-encouraging for a UNC program that had been struggling defensively in recent weeks.

With the Duke loss, North Carolina is in sole position of first place in the ACC with two weeks left in the regular season. Let’s see how social reached to the huge victory:

UNC ends 12-year drought in Charlottesville with win over UVA

The UNC men’s basketball program ended their 12-year drought of not winning in Charlottesville, beating UVA 54-44 Saturday.

The UNC men’s basketball program took on the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday, looking for their first win in John Paul Jones Arena since 2012.

UNC was not only playing to break their losing streak in Charlottesville, they also had extra motivation to create a gap in the ACC standings with Wake Forest upsetting Duke.

And they left Charlottesville ending a 12-year drought with a 54-44 win on Saturday afternoon, giving them sole possession of first place in the ACC.

North Carolina is known for their fast-paced offense that often jump-start them into big leads, but the first half painted a different picture. Instead of scoring, it was UNC’s juggernaut defense, holding UVA to 16.7%(5/30) from the field.

Tar Heels had some offensive issues, with their leading scorer [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag] failing to score a point the first period. However, the Tar Heels did get a spark by Cormac Ryan who was responsible for 15 of 26 UNC first-half points.

The second half saw UNC ten ten-point lead evaporate with the Cavaliers finding their offense. Despite making the game interesting a few times, the Tar Heels held control for the majority of the half, ballooning their lead back into double digits a few times.

Closing out has been an issue for UNC this season, and appeared to be on the horizon again with UVA flirting with a comeback in the final moments. However, the Tar Heels was able to stand on business beating the Cavilers 54-44 to end their 12-year drought of not winning in Charlottesville.

Player of the Game

Player of the game belongs to [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag], who stepped up in a big way for UNC. Davis struggled from the floor, scoring 12 points, causing another Tar Heel to carry the scoring load.

That Tar Heel was no other than Ryan, who finished with 18 points, becoming a marksman from deep with six threes. This game marked Ryan’s third straight time scoring 15 points or more.

What’s Next

Next up for the Tar Heels is a home game against the Miami Hurricanes with only a day break in between. Thankfully for the Tar Heels, this game falls on Monday, and not bad luck on Tuesday, where a string of bad losses has happened.

UNC played the Hurricanes earlier this month, escaping the Hurricanes’s trap with a 75-72 road win. A regular season sweep is in play for the Tar Heels, but they will be hoping to win this one more convincing.

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