It's Go-Time for Darrion Williams at NC State

RALEIGH — When NC State forward Darrion Williams sprinted out to defend the 3-point attempt from Miami's Tru Washington, he thought he made what would've been a game-winning block and played the hero Wolfpack fans wanted him to be. Instead, the whistle blew from the sideline official, despite Williams making contact with the ball first. He watched Washington sink three free throws.

After being named Preseason ACC Player of the Year, the expectations for Williams were very high. In the eyes of most Wolfpack fans, he hasn't lived up to those lofty hopes and dreams, struggling with consistency and shot-making. He finds himself in another one of his dry spells heading into what could be the most consequential matchup of the regular season for the Pack. It's officially go-time.

Can Williams round into form against the Tar Heels?

Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) interacts with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lamar Washington (1) during the second half of the game at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

If NC State wants any chance of knocking off the 16th-ranked UNC Tar Heels, it needs the best possible version of Williams. He showed up in big games against Kansas, Clemson, SMU and Syracuse. He disappeared in other big moments, such as the losses to Virginia and Louisville. Even against Miami, he scored just 11 points while making 1-of-5 shots from 3-point range.

The 3-point shooting can make or break a night for Williams. NC State coach Will Wade is on record saying the perimeter shooting is streaky and when they fall, it's great. The Wolfpack staff will try to establish Williams on the offensive end quickly against the Tar Heels. The forward is at his best when he sees the first few shots go down. If not, things tend to crumble quickly and any aggression Williams opened the game with disappears.

In the last three games, the usage rate for Williams is down significantly as he goes through his struggles. During his three-game tear against Syracuse, Wake Forest and SMU, he was used 33.8% of the time in the Wolfpack offense, averaging 22.7 points per game. Since then, his usage is down to 22.1% and the scoring average dipped to 7.7 points per game.

While some of the usage drop came because of the flow of the games, most of it was sparked by the forward's loss of confidence. It's something he dealt with earlier in the year when his shoulder was injured. A phone call from a family friend before the Syracuse game helped wake the forward up for that run. If something similar happened before the UNC matchup, things could be different for the Wolfpack's outlook.

Personal vendetta

Long before the start of his Wolfpack career, Williams shared his disdain for the Tar Heels at ACC media day. While he never directly interacted with the Tar Heels during his recruitment process or even faced off against them, that hatred stems from the treatment of others he knew well who ended up in Chapel Hill at various points, including his current teammate, Ven-Allen Lubin.

"The fans are crazy. We hate UNC, which I don't have a problem with. I hate UNC as well," Williams said in October. "I think (UNC coach Hubert Davis) did (Ven-Allen Lubin) wrong and then he did Kerwin Walton wrong, my old teammate at Tech, who was there. I just don't like (Davis)."

The time for WIlliams to back up all of that offseason smack talk has arrived. Whether he can live up to remains to be seen, but it's safe to say his words haven't been forgotten by the Tar Heels either.

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