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Leader of the Pack
Darrion Williams scored 28 points and was the steady presence for NC State against VCU. Plus: Gonzaga rolls to the top of KenPom, K-State wins a thriller, Colgate gets a banked-in buzzer-beater, Cam Boozer's remarkable start to the season, and the WCC's chances for three tourney bids.
Mike Miller
November 18, 2025
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1. Darrion Williams ensures NC State outruns VCU
Freshmen Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson garnered most of the ACC headlines through two weeks.
Darrion Williams had enough of that.
The NC State senior — and preseason ACC POY — dropped 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting in an 85-79 win Monday over VCU. Added bonus: the senior forward also grabbed 7 rebounds and was the steady presence throughout for the No. 25 Wolfpack (4-0), who struggled to put away the feisty Rams.
VCU never trailed by more than 7 points in the second half and tied the game at 65 with 9:20 to play. But Williams assisted or scored on the Wolfpack’s next three baskets. VCU never got closer than 3 points the rest of the game.
"We're very fortunate to win this game,” NC State coach Will Wade said. “They out shot us and we turned the ball over 17 turnovers. I give VCU credit, they've got a long and pesky defense that got to us tonight."
Tre Holloman added 25 points, while Matt Able (12 points) was solid off the bench.
The Rams (2-2) were just 13-of-42 from beyond the arc and were led in scoring by Barry Evans, who had 18 points.
It’s the second time Wade’s forced his former team, and the first time he’s beaten VCU. He coached there for two seasons before heading to LSU, which lost to VCU in 2019-20. He spoke fondly about his time there leading up to the game. As an aside, if you missed this Will Wade profile by Brendan Marks, make some time for it today. N.C. State reflects Wade’s fearless approach:
Willy the Kid. The American Gangster.
“The perception of him is just this asshole, cheater, doesn’t care, bends the rules — when really, he just wants to win,” says senior guard Jordan Snell. “He’s grown from it. He’s learned from it. Obviously he’s not a terrible human being because he’s back at this level.”
Wade knows that isn’t a universal perspective, though. That, broadly, plenty of people still see him as an outlaw wearing a black hat.
“I’m not everybody’s cup of tea,” he says. “You don’t have to dance around it.”
NC State will need to stay aggressive as it travels to the Maui Invitational next week. It’ll face Seton Hall to open the tournament.
2. K-State finds a way vs. Tulsa + more results
What do you do when you’re down by five points with 46 seconds left? You turn to your All-American guard.
