WATCH: NC State star DJ Burns taunts Dukes fans during the final moments of Elite Eight showdown
The Cinderella run for NC State continues with an improbable Elite Eight 76-64 victory over the Duke Blue Devils as the 11th seed marches on to the Final Four round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
It was DJ Burns, the team's superstar center, who grabbed all the attention towards the end of the game against the Blue Devils. During a regular free throw formation, the 6'9" forward/center was ready to talk the talk against Duke fans in the stands.
In quick succession, three actions from the big man went viral as his mocking of the Blue Devils fans at the end of the game became the talk of town.
His on-court performance was just as spectacular. Tallying 29 points for a season-high, he finished with an efficient 13-of-19 shooting as he continued to have "fun."
Notable for exuding joyous energy, Burns credited the environment he grew up in as the reason for his behavior on the court.
"I was raised in a happy environment. I try to take that with me wherever I go. I’ll say like I’ve been saying the whole tournament. When I stop having fun with basketball, I’ll stop playing. There’s just been a total switch in our commitment. Nobody’s being late to things. Nobody’s being a problem on the court. Everybody’s come together.”
The remarkable turnaround for NC State
They are the first NC State team to make it to the Final Four in more than four decades. The team is a direct successor to the Jim Valvano team that won the 1983 national title. That team finished their season with upsets over Houston and Phi Slama Jama. For this team, practically every game has been an upset.
The 10th seed in the ACC, the Wolfpacks had lost their final four regular-season games and seven of nine overall before conference tournament play began.
Since then, they have won nine straight games, five in the tournament to win and qualify, and four straight in March Madness to reach the Final Four, where they will face off against National Player of the Year contender Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers.
The common thread to NC State's run in the NCAA Tournament
The defense has been the primary driving force for the Wolfpack. While the DJ-pair has produced results time and again, the defense, which has held each opponent to sub-40% shooting has been the biggest reason for the team's Cinderella run.
Even in their matchup against Duke, DJ Burns contributed 29 to go along with 20 from DJ Horne. A 5-point lead at halftime, turned into a disastrous second half as the team shot just 32.2%, their worst mark of the season.
NC State, too, struggled in the opening period, surrendering a 27-21 lead at halftime, before a 55-point second half, powered by a surreal 71% shooting split, which allowed them to storm back into the contest.
Duke, coming off an upset victory of their own against the Houston Cougars, was led by Jared McCain, who led all scorers with 32 points. However, he got little help from the next highest scorers, Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski, who had 13 and 11 points, respectively.
For Burns, it was a rough start to the game after two quick buckets, as he walked into halftime with just 8 points. However, a 9-11 shooting stroke after the half paved the way for 21 points and victory for his team.
Next for NC State is their biggest challenge yet in the form of Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers in the Final Four, who are on a seminal run after last year's March Madness heartbreak.
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