3 UNC Tar Heels On Thin Ice Ahead of NCAA Tournament

3. Cormac Ryan

Ryan had his best game of his career in the season finale against Duke, dropping 31 points while making six of eight three-pointers in a dominant display.

Things haven't gone so well in his last couple of contests though. He was 2-of-7 for eight points with three fouls against NC State and 1-of-9 for three points in the win over Pittsburgh in the previous round. Given the aforementioned offensive struggles the Tar Heels experience occasionally, Ryan needs to find his Duke form sooner than later.

This was the only three-pointer he made in the loss to the Wolfpack, but illustrates his importance to the offense. Ryan shot the second-most three-pointers on the team behind only RJ Davis this year, though he's trapped in a 2-of-11 slump that he needs to snap out of.

North Carolina is 96th nationally in three-point shooting percentage (35.4%) but shot just 26.7% (8-of-30) against NC State.

If Ryan struggles from deep and the rest of the roster can't pick up the slack, the Tar Heels could suffer an early upset. That being said, the Ryan that showed up against Duke can help lead this team to a championship.

I expect defenses to try to make anyone but Davis beat them, meaning Ryan needs to shoot well for North Carolina to win.

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