No shrinking here: TJ Williams grows up fast to lead Shockers to OT win at UNI
The game was unraveling in real time, each error pulling Wichita State closer to what would have been another cruel defeat away from home.
In the old proving ground of the McLeod Center, where so many Shockers before him had learned how unforgiving a road game can be, a new freshman was taking his turn in the fire. One turnover, two quick fouls and suddenly T.J. Williams was absorbing the full weight of head coach Paul Mills’ dissatisfaction as he was yanked from the floor.
A 12-point cushion had withered to a six-point deficit and the rookie was wearing the worst of it.
“You are shrinking from the moment,” Mills told his redshirt freshman.
Williams didn’t sulk. He didn’t snap back. He accepted the challenge and — less than a minute later when he was sent back in — became a different player. From that moment on, Northern Iowa never truly found a way to stop him.
What followed was a stunning transformation in a 74-69 overtime win that delivered Wichita State its first road victory and first top-100 triumph of the season. Williams finished with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds, as he poured in 11 of those points in the final seven minutes of play, including nine in overtime.
“To his credit, he didn’t shrink at all,” Mills said. “He responded.”
Williams did more than respond. He seized the game.
The response that T.J. Williams needed
Williams’ confidence could have easily been shaken from a travel call and missed layup earlier in the second half. But when he returned to the floor for the final five minutes, Williams was ready to produce.
When Williams was working on a mismatch in the post, UNI sent a double team his way; he read it immediately and found Mike Gray Jr. wide open in the corner for a crucial 3 that sliced the deficit to 56-55 with 2:53 to play.
A few plays later, Williams backed down his defender again and this time finished with a smooth left-handed finish to make it 58-57 with 1:24 left.
WSU forced overtime in the closing seconds of regulation on two clutch free throws by Gray, whose praise for his younger teammate came easily.
“He’s not playing like a freshman,” Gray said. “That’s an upperclassman. If he’s this good already in his 10th game, what do you think he’s going to be like in game 30? We’re so excited for him.”
Wichita native takes over overtime for Shockers
When UNI’s Trey Campbell drilled consecutive 3-pointers to open overtime and surge ahead 66-61, the Panthers looked on the verge of closing the door. Williams refused to let it shut.
Matched against UNI forward Tristan Smith, he hunted the matchup with purpose. First came the in-and-out dribble that wrong-footed Smith and produced a blow-by layup to steady WSU at 66-63 with 3:07 left. Then came the corner cut finish through contact, sparked by a Kenyon Giles drive and dish, for a three-point play that drew WSU within 68-66 with 1:48 left.
His most mature sequence came on a play he and senior Karon Boyd concocted on the fly. Trailing 69-66, Boyd floated up to set a rub screen. He didn’t connect, but he did force Smith to go under the screen, which gave Williams the runway he needed.
Williams absorbed the bumps, pushed Smith backward, carved out space in the paint and rose for a left-handed score that trimmed the deficit to one with 1:17 left.
The designed action was for a pass from Williams, but Boyd and Williams recognized the mismatch and went back to the well to set Williams up to score using bully ball.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Williams said. “I knew they would be expecting me to pass the ball, so I had to be aggressive.”
That’s not typical for a freshman to have the instinct and feel to take over a road game in overtime.
“You can draw up whatever play you want all day long and it can look pretty on paper,” Mills said. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to have players who can go out there and execute.”
And then with under 10 seconds left, Williams stayed vertical and forced a tough miss over the top of his outstretched hands. He also secured the defensive rebound, was fouled, then made both free throws for a 72-69 lead with 6.1 seconds left. WSU fouled to prevent a tying attempt, UNI missed both free throws and the Shockers could finally exhale.
“You don’t really think about it in the moment,” Mills said. “But after the game, you do realize that you just watched him grow up right before your eyes.”
Wichita State’s T.J. Williams is built for the moment
Asked afterward how it felt to have his coach say he was shrinking in the clutch, Williams laughed.
He’s spent his career proving the opposite, of course, from Heights’ championship run to his Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Williams is known for his late-game poise.
“I’m used to stepping up and making the right basketball play for my team,” he said. “So I went back out there and did what I was supposed to do. He challenged me and I showed him I don’t fold in the moment. That’s that special connection that we have.”
Williams said it was the perfect motivation from his coach.
“That’s not who I am,” Williams said. “That’s how a light got lit under me.”
Plenty of Shockers delivered in key stretches: Giles calmed the waters with timely scores, Boyd anchored possessions defensively and Gray made free throws to force overtime. Will Berg had a late block and putback for the go-ahead bucket. WSU wouldn’t have won without any of them.
But the game turned because a freshman refused to shrink.
Williams played like a veteran on a night when WSU desperately needed him to, helping the Shockers secure what could be the program’s first Quad 1 win in years. UNI is currently ranked No. 74 in the NET, which means the final designation won’t be certain until March.
In the aftermath of Saturday night, one thing did feel certain: Williams had delivered something truly special in the building where so many Shockers before him had been tested and proved themselves.
This story was originally published December 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
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