Assessing Darrion Williams' Latest Slippage Over Last Two Games
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RALEIGH — The Darrion Williams experience at NC State continues to be filled with highs and lows, as the senior forward struggles to find the consistency he had earlier in his college career. The last two games saw the Wolfpack's star dip back into single-digit scoring efforts, begging the question of whether it's a reversion to his non-conference form or if teams are adjusting.
There might be aspects of both at play, but the Wolfpack showed it could find ways to win with him struggling to shoot the basketball, at least against Virginia Tech.
What's going on with Williams?
Against Virginia Tech, Williams scored just four points, burying one of his six attempts from 3-point range early in the game. The highly physical defense of the Hokies was something coach Will Wade was concerned about for his entire team heading in, but the majority of the group answered the bell. Williams drew the toughest matchup, as elite athlete Tobi Lawal guarded the Pack forward through most of the game.
"We just couldn't get Darrion going," Wade said. "He missed some threes early in the game. He missed some open threes and then we went back to him in the porch and tried to get him some long post situations and he just struggled today. They did a great job... Lawal is a great athlete. You put athleticism on him, it's sometimes a little bit tougher... Virginia Tech had a great game plan."
The lockdown defense from the Hokies came as something of a shock to many, as Williams averaged 22.7 points over the previous three games, highlighted by a dominant shooting performance against SMU on the road, in which he scored 25 points, making 8-of-18 shots from the field. There's no doubt Virginia Tech and Louisville watched his work from that three-game stretch and came up with a plan to stop it.
Much of the forward's inconsistency during the non-conference slate stemmed from the fact that he was battling a fairly significant shoulder injury. He played through it, still managing to be productive in key moments. Williams started to find his rhythm once the conference schedule began, eventually scoring 22 points against Boston College.
Williams is also somewhat hot-and-cold, or streaky even. When the 3-point shot is falling for him, he's nearly impossible to slow down. When it's not, he runs into trouble and starts to force shots inside, something that hasn't gone well so far in his lone season with the Wolfpack. His play-making ability slipped against Virginia Tech and Louisville, as he racked up just three assists.
Some slippage was always possible with Williams, but the hope for the Wolfpack is that he regains his form in time for the final push through ACC play. There's also the fact that Williams was one of the most effective and efficient players during Texas Tech's run to the Elite Eight in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. If he's able to find that version of himself over the next five to six weeks, the ceiling for NC State rises much higher.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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