Puff Johnson addresses the play that led to Flagrant 2, ejection on Notre Dame's Cormac Ryan

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•01/07/23•

ChandlerVessels

North Carolina forward Puff Johnson didn’t have much to say after Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan was ejected for a flagrant foul against him Saturday in an 81-64 Tar Heels victory.

As Johnson went up for a dunk, Ryan hit him hard in the face as the former hit the ground. The incident resulted in scuffle between the Fighting Irish and UNC before Ryan was ejected.

However, asked about the foul after the game, Johnson claimed not to remember what happened.

“Honestly, I don’t even remember,” he said. “I remember going up and dunking. I didn’t know anyone was behind me at the time. I just went up and dunked it as hard as I could. That’s about all I remember. I was confused because they stopped play and went to the monitor. I didn’t see what happened.”

Puff Johnson went on to say he “didn’t even notice” any malicious contact from Cormac Ryan on the play. The UNC junior finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in addition to six rebounds across 22 minutes off the bench.

At the time of his exit, Ryan was 3-12 shooting and had amassed eight points and six rebounds. North Carolina already held an 11-point lead at the time of the foul, and only saw it increase from then on.

UNC improves to 11-5 on the season with the win, while Notre Dame dropped to 8-8. The Tar Heels will hope to keep their winning streak alive on Tuesday when they take on No. 11 Virginia. The Fighting Irish, on the other hand, will look to bounce back in a Tuesday matchup against Georgia Tech.

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.