Hubert Davis provides update on Cormac Ryan after injury

The North Carolina Tar Heels left the Littlejohn Coliseum in Pickens County, South Carolina, with a win over their ACC rivals, the Clemson Tigers. The Tar Heels improved to 11-3 on the season with a 65-55 victory on the road. However, that victory might come at the price of the health of senior guard Cormac Ryan.

In the victory on Saturday, Ryan tweaked his ankle but did not leave the game. Following the win, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis provided an injury update on his talented senior guard.

“I think he’s doing fine right now because, you know, the adrenaline,” said Davis. “It will be interesting to see what he feels like tomorrow. But other than that, I don’t know. That’s just like Cormac: to tie his shoelaces even tighter and get back out there on the floor, and that’s such an inspiration to his teammates.”

Ryan was instrumental in North Carolina’s victory over Clemson. The 6-foot-5 guard finished the night with 10 points, four assists, and two rebounds. His 10 points came off of 4-8 shooting from the field and 2-6 from beyond the arc. Ryan’s defense also helped keep Clemson’s senior guard and fellow New York native Joseph Girard III in check, limiting him to just five points on 1-10 shooting from the field. Coming into the game, Girard was averaging 15.8 points per contest on the season, with a slight increase in productivity at the Littlejohn Coliseum, averaging 16.5 points per home contest.

Davis considers whether North Carolina players understand winning details

To this point in the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have proven to be one of the best teams in the country. For head coach Hubert Davis, a lot of that success to this point has come down to having players who understand the winning details.

After North Carolina’s recent win over Pitt, Davis was asked about how well the team knows those details and if it’s better than in years past.

“I think they are,” Hubert Davis said. “Specific to this year’s team, I think every day is getting a clearer picture of how important it is. One of the things I always tell them is to make routine plays routinely.”

Those details, as Davis explained, are something that the coaching staff has been working hard to emphasize to the team.

“The little, simple things are ones that lead to big things and I show them on tape. I give them examples of little things that we have to tighten the screws on both ends of the floor to allow ourselves to be successful. So, I do, I believe this team is every day growing a great understanding of how important it is.”

For now, things are certainly working for Hubert Davis and North Carolina. The Tar Heels are ranked eighth in the country. They’ve also won three games in a row after dropping two tough games against UConn and Kentucky, a pair of talented blue bloods. In that game against Kentucky, in particular, the Tar Heels left a strong impression on John Calipari.

“Let me say this – UNC is a Final Four-level team,” Calipari said. “They are. They’re good, they’re good. We were lucky to win but I’m happy for this young group because they really worked hard.”