 In his sophomore year, Nichols would start the first eight games of the season before he was forced out of the lineup with a back injury.He would play in 27 games that season, averaging 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.Nichols posted the sixth-best scoring average improvement in Syracuse history, going from 3.9 points per game as a sophomore to 13.3 points per game in 2005–06 in his junior year.