Two minutes later, Little had a put-back layup off a missed Woods' 3-point attempt. He was fouled by Kabengele, who again couldn’t stop Little from getting the ball to the basket.
Coby White, the starting first-year point guard, knew it was Little’s day after the put-back.
“When he plays like that, I don't think nobody can stop him,” White said.
It wasn’t all dominance from Little. He had two shots in the second half that didn’t reach the rim, and a pair of turnovers. But as a first-year, he knows he has some growing to do.
On and off the court, the transition to college hasn’t been entirely smooth.
He faced a sprained ankle that limited his playing time, and has been coming to grips with his role on the team and the general frustrations facing someone spending their first year away from home.
Conversations with fellow first-years White and Leaky Black have helped.
“I feel like every freshman has these little growing pains,” Little said. “And just being able to talk to guys that are going through the same exact thing as you, that really helps you out, helps you grow as a person and a player.”
Before Saturday’s game, he was finally feeling 100 percent healthy again. A conversation with Coach Williams and assistant coach Hubert Davis also helped remind him that, off the bench or not, he can be the key to the Tar Heels’ success.
“They were telling me that for us to be as good as we can be, I've got to be as good as I can be,” Little said. “I just started feeling like, ‘I come off the bench, it don’t really matter what I do.’”
The reality was on display on Saturday. Little’s performance certainly mattered. In his first 8 minutes of play, he had 9 points and 4 rebounds. A slow start for the Tar Heels turned into a 77-59 blowout win over the Seminoles.
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Even when he isn’t the first option, he might be the X-factor.
With more than five minutes remaining in the game, Little was standing to the right of the arc waving his hands frantically at teammate Cameron Johnson to pass him the ball. Johnson, a graduate guard, instead settled for a long-range 2-point attempt. Little tracked the shot, crashing the boards.
The ball rimmed out, but almost as soon as it was off the rim, Little had shoved it back through with a two-handed slam that sent the Smith Center into a frenzy.
When Little checked out of the game with 4:24 remaining, it was to loud applause from the crowd. He ended with 18 points, tied for a team-high with Johnson, and a career-high eight rebounds. It was evidence of the kind of game that Little has been patiently waiting for.
After the game, he spoke of the encouragement in his and White’s relationship. When things aren’t going well, they pick each other up. And when they are, they savor those moments. Either way, Little is reminded that he has the ability to back up the hype that he brought with him to college.
“That’s the way we go about it,” Little said. “When we're playing well, it’s like, ‘Bruh, you can hoop. Keep doing it. This is really who you are.’"
@James_Tatter
@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com
