WATCH: Notre Dame's Cormac Ryan ejected, scuffle ensues after flagrant foul on UNC forward Puff Johnson

There wasn’t much drama on the court between Notre Dame and North Carolina until a little after halfway through the second half.

With the Fighting Irish looking for a spark down nine, Cormac Ryan wasn’t going to allow any easy buckets. The Notre Dame guard went up physically with Tar Heels forward Puff Johnson as the latter went for a dunk, subsequently resulting in a foul and scuffle.

This was called a flagrant 2 foul on Cormac Ryan of Notre Dame.

Reviewed and confirmed by the referees. Ejected. Overreaction or warranted? pic.twitter.com/umdMeN2HBL

— Steve Samra (@SamraSource) January 7, 2023

Afterwards, the referees reviewed the incident, deciding Ryan committed a flagrant 2 foul and ejecting him from the game.

At the time, Ryan was 3-12 shooting and had amassed eight points and six rebounds. However, his day ended early, and Notre Dame faithful will have their opinions on whether it should’ve been a flagrant 1 instead.

Regardless, defeating North Carolina in Chapel Hill is a tall task, and Notre Dame didn’t look to be on their way to doing so. The Tar Heels took care of business, and will move to 11-6 on the season.

More on North Carolina 81, Notre Dame 64

Moreover, forward Armando Bacot led the way for the Tar Heels against Notre Dame, amassing 21 points on the day. Additionally, guard Caleb Love scored 18 points during the game, helping his team get another ACC victory.

As for Notre Dame, forward Nate Laszewski led the way in a losing effort with 17 points and eight rebounds. He did all he could, but the Fighting Irish simply couldn’t get the job done.

Now, North Carolina turns their focus to a showdown with Virginia on Tuesday, while Norte Dame has Georgia Tech that same night. Both will be hoping to get a victory, and the ACC picture becomes more and more clear each week.