UNC basketball guard Cormac Ryan (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)
UNC Basketball Wing Did Not Practice Leading Up to Tennessee Game
Cormac Ryan injured his ankle late in UNC basketball's loss to Villanova in the Bahamas on Thanksgiving Day. Then, he did not play when the now-No. 17 Tar Heels (6-1, 0-0 ACC) bounced back with a win over then-No. 20 Arkansas the following day.
He returned to the court on Wednesday night for UNC's 100-92 home victory over Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge, tallying 15 points, two rebounds, and one assist in his 24 minutes off the bench before fouling out of the contest with under four to play.
The 25-year-old graduate guard shot 3-for-9 from the field, 2-for-6 from three, and 7-for-7 at the line.
Following the game, third-year UNC basketball Hubert Davis explained to the media that he hadn't penned in Cormac Ryan to give it a go against the Volunteers, as he'd still been rehabbing his injury all week:
"He didn't practice...We got back from the Bahamas and had Sunday off. He didn't practice Monday or Tuesday. And after practice Tuesday, he came up to my office, and he said, 'I'm playing.'
"I said, 'OK, if you want to.'
"There's a sense of urgency for him. There's no more 'extra year' for him. And his intensity and passion and a desire to be a part of a team and to be good is exactly what this team has needed. And he came up big tonight...
"He [noted his decision to play] in a way where he wanted to be out there to help the team, and he felt like he was well enough to be able to do it.
"That's exactly what you want to hear from a player."
Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.
