This iconic duo coming in at No. 3 speaks to just how uber-talented UNC backcourts have been over the years. The only thing the top two backcourts have over this tandem is a national championship. And even though they came so painfully close to winning one, they never got over the hump, being upset in back-to-back Final Fours.
Cota and Williams were on loaded teams featuring All-Americans Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter. Cota was everything you’d want in a point guard, playing selflessly and always looking to get his teammates the rock. He was good for at least one jaw-dropping, flashy pass per game, guaranteed to get the crowd electrified. That season, Cota scored 8.1 points and dropped an ACC-best 7.4 assists per game. He’s in the conversation as Carolina’s best passer of all time.
Williams had about as complete of an offensive game as we’ve seen for a guard at Carolina. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, along with shooting 40% from beyond the arc and 91.1% from the stripe, leading the entire ACC.