Making Sense of That Darrion Williams Moment

NC State began league play in the ACC with a 70-57 win over Wake Forest on Wednesday, getting some stellar defensive performances from players like Quadir Copeland and Musa Sagnia. While he made just three of his 12 shots and scored eight points, star forward Darrion Williams found other ways to impact the game.

That caused a viral outburst from head coach Will Wade after the victory, as Wade expressed his frustration with the treatment of the Texas Tech transfer from fans and media members, as he's dealt with a shoulder injury and a shooting slump.

🚨NSFW🚨 NC State head coach Will Wade was asked what his concern level over the play of Darrion Williams was after the win over Wake Forest.

Here's his response: pic.twitter.com/K0fDK4t7xe
— Tucker Sennett (@SennettTucker) December 31, 2025

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett explains why it's not time to panic over Darrion Williams and why the analytics offer more explanation as to why Wade ardently defended the forward on Wednesday.

Check out the episode here

What Wade said about Williams

Happy New Year💫 https://t.co/xE64JPQXRD
— Reed Vial (@reed_vial3) January 1, 2026

In the final game before the Wolfpack broke for the Christmas holiday, Williams failed to make a shot, prompting some questions about his performance. While the team was away from action, those doubts about the star clearly irritated Wade, who finally exploded when asked about his concern level with Williams' performance after the eight-point effort against the Demon Deacons.

"Absolutely zero," Wade began. "I'm tired of hearing about freaking Darrion. He's f****** playing well, alright? It's a terrible question. It's a terrible question. Let me be frank with you, he affects winning and everybody's out here bitching about him and all this stuff; he affects winning. He was plus-13 against Ole Miss and didn't hit a shot and everyone's acting like the world is caving in."

Williams proved his scoring ceiling early in the season, averaging 23.3 points in the first four games before his production dipped. His 17-point double-double in the overtime loss to Kansas looked like the clutch version of Williams that helped carry Texas Tech to an Elite Eight appearance in 2025. That is the player Wade is counting on, hence his denial of any slander or doubts in the forward's ability.

"The guy is a damn good player. He didn't shoot it well today. What did he have?" Wade said. "Who had zero turnovers today? Darrion Williams. Six rebounds, four assists, zero turnovers. So, everybody needs to shut the hell up about him. He's a damn good player and the shot is going to fall. I'm tired of answering questions about him. He's really good. We're thankful to have him."

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