UNC guard Cormac Ryan celebrates with fans on Franklin Street after win over Duke

North Carolina guard Cormac Ryan took every opportunity to soak in his first win in the rivalry against Duke. The transfer from Notre Dame got a taste of what this game means to fans in Tar Heel blue in a 93-84 win against the Blue Devils on Saturday, and it’s safe to say he gets it now.

Ryan was spotted celebrating the win with UNC fans that evening on Franklin Street, and a clip of the moment was posted to Twitter. He can be seen jumping up and down in jubilation and waving his arms as fans take video.

yes that is who you think it is 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nONIJ50w1y

— Jordan (@heelsrule1988) February 4, 2024

North Carolina was in control most of the game, leading 45-35 at halftime and never allowing its lead to dwindle down below seven in the second half. Ryan finished the game with nine points, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and a pair of steals.

Cormac Ryan has been a critical part of North Carolina’s rotation this season, starting 20 of the 21 games he has appeared in. He ranks second on the team with 10.8 points per game to go along with 3.3 rebounds.

The Tar Heels have been having a great year and currently sit at 18-4 (10-1 ACC) and first place in the conference standings. Ryan and the rest of the team will have plenty to celebrate over the weekend before their next matchup against Clemson on Tuesday.

Hubert Davis stresses importance of getting Armando Bacot going in win vs. Duke

Armando Bacot shot 77 percent from the floor and scored 25 points in North Carolina‘s 93-84 win over Duke on Saturday. It was Bacot’s first 20+ point performance since November.

Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis believes Bacot is one of the best big men in the country, but his numbers in recent games have dwindled. Davis explained why it was so important for Bacot’s confidence to have a massive performance against an opponent like Duke.

“I thought it was important for him to get off to a good start and he was able to do that,” Davis said postgame. “I felt like that gave him confidence to be able to be a force and effective on the offensive end.

“When he’s dominant down low in the post like that, that just opens everything up for us. It gives us space to drive and to penetrate and get to the basket. It gets us open shots on the perimeter, gets us closer to the penalty. … So there’s a number of benefits for us when our Armando is aggressive and plays the way that he did tonight.”

Bacot ended Saturday’s win over Duke with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double — a massive jump from his performance just days before the rivalry game against the Blue Devils. Georgia Tech downed the Tar Heels 74-73 and Bacot scored just nine points on 4-of-8 shot attempts to go with nine boards.