Williams Lights Up SMU in Latest Wolfpack Road Win

Whether it was the weight of expectations or a shoulder injury, the start to Darrion Williams' NC State career was full of major ups and downs. At times, the forward didn't look like he would be the centerpiece head coach Will Wade and the Wolfpack staff hoped he would be after he won preseason ACC Player of the Year Honors. Over the last two weeks, he's responded.

In Tuesday's narrow 84-83 victory over SMU, it was the shooting stroke of Williams that kept State in the fight for long enough to eventually wear the Mustangs down. On the road seeking a crucial win, he stepped up and proved he could be the driving offensive force, with a lot of help from Quadir Copeland, that the Pack needed.

Letting it fly with ease

Ice in his veins. pic.twitter.com/VTgyo9dHyG
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 4, 2026

The most consequential 3-point make of the game from Williams came in the first half. SMU surged with an 8-0 run, pushing its lead to 11 and rallying the Moody Coliseum crowd with just a few minutes left in the half. Williams quickly answered with a bomb from beyond the arc, cutting the Mustang lead to eight. That gave NC State some confidence heading into the locker room.

"With the style of basketball that they play, we knew it was going to be an up-and-down game," Williams said. "They were going to make some runs... We didn't want to play how they play, basically. We knew we'd come back at some point and once we started rolling... I knew we were going to win."

NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) is defended by Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey (0) Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball game at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. NC State Wolfpack won 80-76 in OT. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Improved 3-point shooting has been a major part of the latest scoring surge for Williams. He shot 6-for-12 from deep against SMU, marking the third-straight outing with five or more makes from 3-point range. Williams scored a team-high 25 points, taking advantage of several of Quadir Copeland's 16 assists. The dominant distribution from his teammate came as no surprise to Williams.

"He does a great job distributing... He wasn't really mad he wasn't shooting. I think he banked in a three today, so I'm going to make fun of him for that, but I think he did a great job," Williams said of his point guard.

Tuesday marked a return to Texas for Williams, who spent the last two years of his collegiate career playing down the road in Lubbock with Texas Tech. The trip back to a place where the forward put together some of his best performances may not have directly affected his output against SMU, but there was certainly something refreshing about being back in the Lone Star State for Williams.

Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE