Darrion Williams Faces Familiar Foe as NC State Prepares for Kansas Showdown
RALEIGH, N.C. - Seven months ago, Darrion Williams was walking the halls of Allen Fieldhouse, watching game film with Bill Self, and picturing what life might look like in a Kansas jersey. Fast forward to now, and Williams is suiting up for NC State, preparing to face the very team he turned down-and the one that remembers exactly what he did to them the last time they met.
Saturday afternoon brings more than just a non-conference clash between the Wolfpack and Jayhawks. It’s a reunion of sorts, and for Williams, it’s a chance to remind Kansas what they missed out on.
And if history is any indication, they haven’t forgotten.
“We recruited him hard,” Self said. “He crushed us last year at our place playing for Tech. I think he’s a really nice player.”
That “crushing” came in the form of a 14-point, nine-rebound, four-assist performance at Allen Fieldhouse-punctuated by two big threes-in a 78-73 Texas Tech win. It was the kind of showing that sticks with a coach, especially when it happens on your home floor.
But that wasn’t even Williams’ most dominant outing against Kansas. The year before, he torched the Jayhawks for a perfect 12-for-12 shooting night, dropping 30 points and grabbing 11 boards in a 79-50 rout.
That’s not just a good game. That’s a headline performance against a top-10 team, and it’s the kind of resume bullet point that makes Saturday’s matchup even more intriguing.
Since arriving in Raleigh, Williams has shown flashes of that same elite playmaking. He opened the season on a tear-averaging 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across the first four games, while taking double-digit shots each time out.
But a shoulder injury and a shifting offensive rhythm have cooled things off. His usage rate has dipped, and outside of a strong showing against Boise State, he hasn’t cracked 14 points in recent outings.
Some of that can be chalked up to Quadir Copeland stepping into a bigger role, especially while Williams was nursing that shoulder. In the last game against Liberty, Williams logged just 19 minutes as NC State looked to preserve him for this very moment.
And make no mistake-head coach Will Wade wants his guy ready to go.
“We always want Darrion to be aggressive,” Wade said. “Last game, he didn’t play all that much because we were trying to rest his shoulder a little bit and make sure we had him as healthy for this game as we could.”
Wade didn’t hide the fact that the offense has looked out of sync at times without Williams fully engaged. The goal now? Get the ball back in his hands and let him steer the ship.
“I think we ran it a lot better the other night, and hopefully we’re running well tomorrow,” Wade added. “But we always want Darrion to be very aggressive.”
It’s not just about scoring, either. Williams is the kind of player who can control the game without taking 20 shots. Whether he’s dishing out assists, drawing defensive attention, or crashing the boards, he’s a connector-the guy who makes everything else click.
And he’s not alone in bringing Kansas experience into this matchup. Terrance Arceneaux, who beat the Jayhawks twice last season while at Houston, also knows what it takes to topple a Bill Self team. Wade has leaned into that experience this week, using both players’ insights to shape the game plan.
“Darrion and Terrance both have experience against Kansas,” Wade said. “They both said, ‘Thank God we’re not playing them at Kansas.’
Those guys have been helpful in the scouting. Both guys have very, very high basketball IQ.”
That IQ matters, especially against a Kansas team that’s known for its defensive discipline and game-to-game adjustments. Last year, they tried trapping Williams at Texas Tech. This time, Wade and his staff are ready for that look-and more.
Inside the locker room, there’s no panic about Williams’ recent dip in scoring. The trust in him is unwavering, and the plan is simple: put the ball in his hands and let him go to work.
“We have the ultimate trust in Darrion,” Wade said. “We want to put the ball in his hands, because when you do that, he’s going to make the right play most of the time. His career and season this year has shown that-whether that be scoring or assisting, whatever it may be, he’s going to make the right play.”
And that’s what Saturday comes down to. A healthy, assertive Darrion Williams isn’t just a luxury for NC State-he’s the key to unlocking the kind of performance that can knock off a blue blood and keep the Wolfpack undefeated at home.
“When the ball is in his hands,” Wade said, “something good typically happens for us.”