THI TV: Cormac Ryan Talks Defensive Uptick, Trust, State & More

CHAPEL HILL – With No. 7 North Carolina visiting NC State on Wednesday night, the Tar Heels held a press conference at the Smith Center on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the team thus far and the Wolfpack.

In addition to UNC Coach Hubert Davis, graduate guard Cormac Ryan also met with the media.

Carolina (11-3, 3-0 ACC), and State (11-3, 3-0) tip at 8 PM. The game will air on ESPN.

Above is video of Ryan’s Q&A session, and below are some notes from what he had to say:

*Ryan is averaging 11 points per game shooting 38.7 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from 3-point range. He’s averaging 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while playing 29 minutes per contest.

*Ryan played three seasons at Notre Dame and twice against NC State at PNC Arena, site or Wednesday’s game. Of course, the Irish didn’t get the kind of wrath from State fans the Tar Heels will face when they head over there. Ryan will experience a lot, including name calling and a variety of other pleasantries.

“Obviously, I’ve had a lot of history in this league. Playing NC State (playing for) Notre Dame I’ve heard is different at Carolina. I’m expecting a great atmosphere and a fun game.”

In the two games Ryan has played the Wolfpack in its home arena were quite different. In 2022, he played 32 minutes in an Irish victory while scoring just three points, hitting 1-for-2 from the perimeter as his only field goal attempts.

Last season, in a three-point Notre Dame loss, Ryan was 6-for-8 from the field, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc for 19 points.

“I’ve played a lot of college basketball. I’ve seen some of the greatest college basketball environments. I’m excited for it, I love playing in loud and raucous environment, so we’ll see what they’ve got.”

*The Tar Heels have been outstanding defensively of late, holding their last four opponents – Oklahoma, Charleston Southern, Pittsburgh, and Clemson to a combined 69.3 points below their scoring averages, as factored in including the UNC games

Ryan says teams can get hot offensively, of course, but also defensively.

“Absolutely, I think you can, and a lot of that starts with preparation. It starts with how you practice, how you prepare for a team, whether that’s personnel, scouting. And a lot of it is just the mindset, and that hunger and that desire to play defense.

“That is something similar to shots going in and making you feel confident. If you get a lot of stops in a row, you feel really confident. And it kind of frustrates the other team, it upsets them, it disrupts them, and you can build momentum off that.”

*Staying on UNC’s impressive defensive run, the Tar Heels won twice on the road last week versus quality opponents Pitt and Clemson while scoring only 70 and 65 points, and won the games by 13 and 10 points, respectively. It’s important Carolina has shown it can win grinders as well as up-and-down-the-court games.

“It’s really important. There’s a lot that goes into winning a basketball game. And sometimes, you’re just scoring the ball at a really high clip, and sometimes you have to win it ugly and defensively, in the trenches, as coach likes to say.

“I think the past couple of games have been a good example of how to do that. And it gives us confidence knowing we can do that.”

*Ryan came down awkwardly on Clemson guard Joseph Girard’s foot Saturday, re-aggravating a right ankle sprain he suffered in The Bahamas on Thanksgiving Day. Ryan says it’s part of what comes along during the lengthy college basketball season.

“One of the tough things about playing a long college basketball season is you get an injury, it’s hard to get it back to 100 percent. So, little re-tweaks will happen. It’s something I’ve dealt with before, so it’s feeling good.”