It’s that time of year where a sports lover is glued to their televison.
We’re in the midst of professional and collegiate football season, plus the MLB Postseason. NHL action has already kicked off, while the NBA regular season starts next week.
There’s one more sport we’ll be adding to that mix early next month – college basketball, the one sport that can decrease work productivity for just a few weeks every March.
One college hoops teams several people will be following closely is UNC, who, last year, became the first Preseason Number One team to miss the NCAA Tournament. Carolina returned four-fifths of its starting lineup last year, but that veteran presence and talent never played up to its 2021-2022 level.
A reason the Tar Heels struggled was head coach Hubert Davis’ failure to properly utilize the bench. He had the likes of Jalen Washington, Puff Johnson, Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn waiting for their turn, yet those four and additional bench guys rarely saw extended minutes on the court.
This led to a mass exodus of transfers, with seven Tar Heels, led by last year’s starting point guard Caleb Love, leaving Chapel Hill.
What UNC lost in the transfer portal, though, they quickly gained back in the form of two projected starters and three valuable bench pieces.
One of Carolina’s most valuable transfers they gained was former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan, who’s tallied over 1,000 points during his time in South Bend. At 6’5″, he’ll likely split time between the shooting guard and small forward spot.
There’s a chance Ryan could start at the 3, but we’ll have to wait until an official starting lineup is released. Let’s take a deeper dive into the type of player UNC gains in Ryan:
2022-2023 season in review
Mar 7, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) drives to the basket against Virginia Tech Hokies guard Rodney Rice (1) during the second half of the first round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan was one of the best players on a Notre Dame team that, after starting with six straight wins, ended its year with just 11.
He was a defensive wizard, leading the Fighting Irish with 1.3 steals per game. Ryan became a solid scorer, finishing second with 12.3 points per game, showcased his passing abilities with 2.5 assists per game (second on Notre Dame), finished third among his teammates with an 82.7 percentage from the free throw line and, what the Heels need most, shot 34.4 percent from downtown.
Ryan’s scoring ability should make him an immediate starter, though we already know R.J. Davis is holding down the 2 spot. Ryan’s greatest path to playing time is small forward, an area UNC addressed with the departure of Leaky Black.
Projected role for 2023-2024
Dec 3, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) shoots a three point basket in the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan will either be taking over the starting small forward spot from Black, or heavily utilized in a guard platoon system with Davis and Elliot Cadeau.
It’d be difficult to leave a 12-point scorer on the bench, particularly one who can shoot the 3-pointer at an effective clip.
If UNC decides to start Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram at the 3 spot, Jae’Lyn Withers will be plugged in at the 4. Armando Bacot would start at center, Cadeau at point and Davis at shooting guard.
More likely, I think we’ll see Ryan slot into the starting lineup alongside Cadeau, Davis, Ingram at the 4 and Bacot.
Bold prediction
Mar 7, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) drives to the basket against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half of the first round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
I believe that Ryan will do two things in Carolina blue this year – average 15 points per game and lead UNC in 3-point shooting.
Davis was the Heels’ leader from deep last season, registering a .362 shooting percentage. That’s not bad as a perimeter shooter, but not the highest percentage you want on your team.
The ultimate cherry on top would be if Ryan and Davis are both shooting unconscious from 3-point land. It’s not impossible, but also not something UNC has enjoyed a lot of before.
If Ryan shoots the trifecta as well as he did at Notre Dame, opponents are going to have a difficult time slowing down Carolina’s scoring attack.
20-point outing against ranked Pitt squad
Mar 1, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) dunks in the second half against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
One of the Fighting Irish’s lone bright spots last year was the shocking upset it pulled in its home finale, an 88-81 upset of then-25-ranked Pitt.
In that game, Ryan scored 20 points, dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds, plus shot a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe.
That was Ryan’s first 20-point outing since Dec. 2022, when he totaled 21 points in a 81-75 triumph over Boston University.