University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Lucas: Two Of A Kind
March 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
During the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play, Nassir Little was reminiscent of Marvin Williams.
By Adam Lucas
Carolina has never had a player exactly like Nassir Little.
But the Tar Heels have had a player whose contributions were very similar.
Little's key role this past weekend in Columbus in two NCAA Tournament games brought to mind the role of Marvin Williams in 2005. Like Little, Williams was a highly touted freshman who didn't start a game during his initial—and, eventually, only—campaign for the Tar Heels. Both players used impressive versatility and elite athleticism to give Carolina a weapon opponents often couldn't match.
Williams posted 20 points and eight rebounds in Carolina's first round win over Oakland in 2005, then followed it with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Iowa State in the second round. Little had a similarly stout contribution in the first two NCAA games, as he had 19 points and four rebounds against Iona, followed by 20 points and seven rebounds against Washington. That 20-point game was the first time a Tar Heel reserve had scored 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game since…of course, Williams in 2005.
Little still has the opportunity to add to his legacy over the next two weeks. But here's a look at three similarities and three differences in the key Tar Heel reserves.
Both are more than just scorers. As Williams' 15 rebounds against the Cyclones show, he was a better rebounder than you probably remember. His 21.7% defensive rebound percentage was in the top 75 nationally in 2005.
Little's rebounding numbers aren't quite as high, but they're an important part of what is again a potent rebounding squad. The Tar Heels are 7-0 when he has at least seven rebounds, and 18-2 when he grabs at least five boards. He's reached that five-rebound mark in seven of the last nine games after doing it in just 14 of Carolina's first 26 games.
Williams didn't have to deal with injuries. Perhaps the most underrated part of Little's freshman season is that he was playing very well when he suffered an ankle injury against Virginia. He played just 22 minutes combined in the next two games, committing five turnovers.
"He was really coming along really well," said Roy Williams. "And then he got his ankle hurt, and then he got hit in the eye. And those things set him back quite a bit."
Those injuries have partially limited Little's minutes, as he's averaging approximately four per game fewer than Williams did as a freshman.
Both have made a big impact at the free throw line. Little has been one of Carolina's best players—on a good free throw shooting team—at getting to the stripe. His next charity toss will be his 100thof the season, making him the fourth Tar Heel to reach that mark. The others are Coby White, Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye, all of whom have played at least 300 more minutes than Little.
But here's an area you might forget about Marvin Williams: he was extremely good at getting to the line. His 163 free throw attempts in 2005 trailed only Sean May for the national champions, and his free throw rate was an astronomical 66.0. And Williams was deadly at the line, where he hit 84.7 percent as a freshman (including converting the most famous three-point play of the season against Duke at home).
The free throw stats underscore another important similarity: opponents had trouble handling either player around the basket. Both Williams and Little have the blend of athleticism and strength that is very tough for opponents to match, especially coming off the bench.
Williams was a slightly better three-point shooter. At least, according to the stats. But this is also partially due to the change in college basketball over the past 15 years, as three-point shots have become much more common. Williams attempted just 44 of them at Carolina, sinking 19 (.432). Little has already attempted 50, making 14 (.280).
Transport Little back to 2005, and he'd probably be spending more time causing havoc around the rim—where he's made 53.2 percent of his two-point shots, as compared to 52.2 percent for Williams—and less time around the three-point line. But he remains a very capable shooter, especially when he's shooting them in rhythm as part of the offense, as he did with his made trifecta against Washington.
"I was very happy when he went out to shoot that three right in front of our bench because it was a shot everybody wanted him to take," Roy Williams said. "And we've seen him take those and he works extremely hard on the shot."
Both have the respect of their teammates. It's easy for a highly touted freshman who doesn't get mega-minutes to cause locker room issues. Neither Williams nor Little has ever made any public issue of coming off the bench. That might be even more impressive for Little, who has been the subject of media scrutiny since day one and is part of an era when instantaneous impact is expected and demanded.
Both have also been fully committed to the complete Carolina experience. Little was the only freshman on the Academic All-ACC team; Williams is the only known one-and-done player to have earned his college degree.
Williams has a national title. Little is still working on this one. His next step comes Friday night against Auburn.
Carolina has never had a player exactly like Nassir Little.
But the Tar Heels have had a player whose contributions were very similar.
Little's key role this past weekend in Columbus in two NCAA Tournament games brought to mind the role of Marvin Williams in 2005. Like Little, Williams was a highly touted freshman who didn't start a game during his initial—and, eventually, only—campaign for the Tar Heels. Both players used impressive versatility and elite athleticism to give Carolina a weapon opponents often couldn't match.
Williams posted 20 points and eight rebounds in Carolina's first round win over Oakland in 2005, then followed it with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Iowa State in the second round. Little had a similarly stout contribution in the first two NCAA games, as he had 19 points and four rebounds against Iona, followed by 20 points and seven rebounds against Washington. That 20-point game was the first time a Tar Heel reserve had scored 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game since…of course, Williams in 2005.
Little still has the opportunity to add to his legacy over the next two weeks. But here's a look at three similarities and three differences in the key Tar Heel reserves.
Both are more than just scorers. As Williams' 15 rebounds against the Cyclones show, he was a better rebounder than you probably remember. His 21.7% defensive rebound percentage was in the top 75 nationally in 2005.
Little's rebounding numbers aren't quite as high, but they're an important part of what is again a potent rebounding squad. The Tar Heels are 7-0 when he has at least seven rebounds, and 18-2 when he grabs at least five boards. He's reached that five-rebound mark in seven of the last nine games after doing it in just 14 of Carolina's first 26 games.
Williams didn't have to deal with injuries. Perhaps the most underrated part of Little's freshman season is that he was playing very well when he suffered an ankle injury against Virginia. He played just 22 minutes combined in the next two games, committing five turnovers.
"He was really coming along really well," said Roy Williams. "And then he got his ankle hurt, and then he got hit in the eye. And those things set him back quite a bit."
Those injuries have partially limited Little's minutes, as he's averaging approximately four per game fewer than Williams did as a freshman.
Both have made a big impact at the free throw line. Little has been one of Carolina's best players—on a good free throw shooting team—at getting to the stripe. His next charity toss will be his 100thof the season, making him the fourth Tar Heel to reach that mark. The others are Coby White, Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye, all of whom have played at least 300 more minutes than Little.
But here's an area you might forget about Marvin Williams: he was extremely good at getting to the line. His 163 free throw attempts in 2005 trailed only Sean May for the national champions, and his free throw rate was an astronomical 66.0. And Williams was deadly at the line, where he hit 84.7 percent as a freshman (including converting the most famous three-point play of the season against Duke at home).
The free throw stats underscore another important similarity: opponents had trouble handling either player around the basket. Both Williams and Little have the blend of athleticism and strength that is very tough for opponents to match, especially coming off the bench.
Williams was a slightly better three-point shooter. At least, according to the stats. But this is also partially due to the change in college basketball over the past 15 years, as three-point shots have become much more common. Williams attempted just 44 of them at Carolina, sinking 19 (.432). Little has already attempted 50, making 14 (.280).
Transport Little back to 2005, and he'd probably be spending more time causing havoc around the rim—where he's made 53.2 percent of his two-point shots, as compared to 52.2 percent for Williams—and less time around the three-point line. But he remains a very capable shooter, especially when he's shooting them in rhythm as part of the offense, as he did with his made trifecta against Washington.
"I was very happy when he went out to shoot that three right in front of our bench because it was a shot everybody wanted him to take," Roy Williams said. "And we've seen him take those and he works extremely hard on the shot."
Both have the respect of their teammates. It's easy for a highly touted freshman who doesn't get mega-minutes to cause locker room issues. Neither Williams nor Little has ever made any public issue of coming off the bench. That might be even more impressive for Little, who has been the subject of media scrutiny since day one and is part of an era when instantaneous impact is expected and demanded.
Both have also been fully committed to the complete Carolina experience. Little was the only freshman on the Academic All-ACC team; Williams is the only known one-and-done player to have earned his college degree.
Williams has a national title. Little is still working on this one. His next step comes Friday night against Auburn.
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