NCAA Basketball: ACC Tipoff
Imagn Images

NC State forward Darrion Williams -- a five-star transfer and the No. 5 overall player in the 2026 portal cycle -- already seems to be fitting into the Wolfpack culture. He made his disdain for rival North Carolina clear ahead of his first season in the Triangle and pointed it toward Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis for what he said was unfair treatment of two former UNC players.

Williams, previously of Texas Tech stardom, joins forces this season with UNC transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, who left his former program to jump onto the other side of the heated rivalry. He also played last season with another ex-Tar Heel in Kerwin Walton, who spent two years at UNC before closing out his career at Texas Tech.

"I think their coach did Ven wrong, and then he did Kerwin Walton wrong -- my old teammate at Tech -- when he was there," Williams said of UNC's Davis. "So, yeah, I just don't like the guy."

Candid Coaches: If your son played college basketball, who would you want him to spend four years with?
Gary Parrish
Candid Coaches: If your son played college basketball, who would you want him to spend four years with?

Williams is not the only person in the NC State program to question Davis' handling of Lubin, who spent one year with the Tar Heels. Coach Will Wade said UNC was "too dumb to play him," calling into question his role as a part-time starter.

Lubin led all Tar Heel forwards in minutes and scoring yet started just 20 games and was in and out of the lineup all season. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and shot 68.4% from the field in a role that arguably did not fit his production.

"The other school was too dumb to play him," Wade said this summer. "When [Lubin] plays 28-plus minutes -- he's done that in 23 games -- he averages 15 (points) and eight (rebounds). I don't know why the hell they didn't play him, but we're gonna play him. So he's gonna average 15 and eight. We're very excited about Ven."

Disdain toward the Tar Heels is a hallmark of NC State athletics as the rivalry between the nearby schools runs deep. It did not take long for Williams to take notice of that reality upon his arrival from Texas Tech, and because of his thoughts about Davis, he might have found an ideal landing spot in the portal.

"The fans are crazy," Williams said of his new school. "We hate UNC, which I don't have a problem with. I hate UNC, as well."

Williams was a colossal early recruiting pickup for Wade ahead of his first season at the helm. The former Red Raiders star enters his senior year on the heels of back-to-back All-Big 12 campaigns and last season guided his old squad to the Elite Eight. He averaged 15.1 points on the year and was terrific in the postseason, scoring 21.0 points across four NCAA Tournament outings.