CHAPEL HILL - On a night when North Carolina claimed a share of the ACC regular season title with its 79-70 victory over Duke, it may not have materialized that way without first-half performances by Kenny Williams and Nassir Little.
The duo combined for 21 of UNC’s 38 points by halftime on 9-for-16 shooting. The rest of the team was just 7 of 21 for a total of 17 points, showing how critical they were in the first 20 minutes of play.
“Nassir, I think he had (nine) of his nine at halftime and that was big,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said following the victory Saturday night at the Smith Center. “Kenny, his career he’s been a better scorer than he has this year, but he’s struggled from the three-point line and the ball hasn’t gone in the basket. But anybody that scored (nine) points for us in the first half is big, we were down two.”
The pair was also efficient from the perimeter, going 3-for-5 on 3-pointers while the other four Tar Heels that attempted three went just 2 of 10.
“Cam (Johnson) was in foul trouble so somebody’s going to have to step up and we did,” said Williams, the 6-foot-4 Midlothian, VA, native.
Despite playing one of his best games of the season in his last inside the Smith Center, the senior guard acknowledged UNC’s depth, something that could prove to be a major asset as this team steps into postseason play next week in Charlotte as the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament.
“We were talking about it before the game, we have so many weapons so it’s so hard to stop us on any given night because you don’t know whose night it’s going to be,” Williams said. “So, you have to pick your poison and, if one guy isn’t having his best game, we’ll have the next guy come off the bench or the next guy in the lineup step up and make shots and I think we showed that tonight.”
For Little, who scored just two points in 11 minutes of play in the Tar Heels’ 88-72 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium a few weeks ago, his impressive first-half display was down to the mindset he took into Saturday night’s game.
“Just being aggressive, taking advantage of the opportunity and just trying to provide a lift off the bench,” Little said. “I think something that’s overlooked is to have a guy that can score in double-figures off the bench consistently is something that isn’t (common) so I take pride in that.”
While Williams and Little were big over the first 20 minutes of the contest, both ended the night with two contrasting performances.
Williams, who finished with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting and drew three charging fouls on Duke star R.J. Barrett, was arguably the best player on the court for the Tar Heels. On the other hand, Little played just six minutes in the second half and failed to score a point or even attempt a shot.
Still, that part doesn’t matter to the freshman forward. He’s just glad he and his teammates were able to come out on top against their biggest rival on senior night.
“It’s a little bit frustrating but we won,” Little said. “And I’m a winner and I love winning, so I put that above anything else.”
And without he and Williams getting it going in the first half, winning may never have happened.
