The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519757
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "There's been a lot of disrespect on NC State basketball for a long time. After this year and what me and my brothers went out there and did, there will be a lot of respect on NC State basketball now." Graduate forward DJ Burns Jr. was as eager as his teammate to reestablish the Pack as a nationally competitive force. Burns was one of the breakout stars of this year's NCAA Tournament, winning fans with his patented post moves and outgo- ing personality. He had 29 points in the victory over Duke that put NC State in the Final Four, and he was thrilled to be a part of a history-making run by the Wolfpack. "I'll remember it as an amazing thing," Burns said with a slight tear in his eye. "It was the best year of my life, basketball- wise." 'It's Been A Journey' On April 15, NC State held a celebration at the Belltower for the Wolfpack men's and women's basketball teams, the latter having made its own Final Four appear- ance. At the event, graduate guard Casey Morsell found himself reflecting on how far the men's program had come since he transferred from Virginia in 2021. The Pack had finished 11-21 in his first season, and now here it was commemorating an ACC championship and Final Four ap- pearance. "From where we were three years ago to now, seeing Hillsborough Street filled, seeing hundreds of thousands of people supporting us, it's been a journey," Mor- sell said. Both teams created their own legacies at NC State, and in November, they will hang Final Four banners in PNC Arena and Reynolds Coliseum, respectively. Keatts said he hopes that his team is re- membered for the way it conducted itself on the court. "One of the things we talked about is to represent yourself, represent the univer- sity and represent your family the right way," he said. "So, when you think about this group, I want you to think about " Every win we've gotten, it's felt like a champion- ship. To see all the joy and the happiness that it's brought our university, our city, how many people got behind us, not just from NC State but the whole country, it just shows what you can do as a team when you come together. " Graduate guard DJ Horne NC State Men's Basketball Results Date Opponent Result Nov. 1 MOUNT OLIVE (Exh.) W, 89-79 Nov. 6 THE CITADEL W, 72-59 Nov. 10 ABILENE CHRISTIAN W, 84-64 Nov. 17 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN W, 87-53 Nov. 23 Vanderbilt* W, 84-78 Nov. 24 BYU* L, 95-86 Nov. 28 at Ole Miss L, 72-52 Dec. 2 at Boston College W, 84-78 (OT) Dec. 6 MD. EASTERN SHORE W, 93-61 Dec. 12 UT MARTIN W, 81-67 Dec. 16 Tennessee** L, 79-70 Dec. 20 SAINT LOUIS W, 82-70 Dec 23 DETROIT W, 83-66 Jan. 3 at Notre Dame W, 54-52 Jan. 6 VIRGINIA W, 76-60 Jan. 10 NORTH CAROLINA L, 67-54 Jan. 13 at Louisville W, 89-83 Jan. 16 WAKE FOREST W, 83-76 Jan. 20 VIRGINIA TECH L, 84-78 Jan. 24 at Virginia L, 59-53 (OT) Jan. 27 at Syracuse L, 77-65 Jan. 30 MIAMI W, 74-68 Feb. 3 GEORGIA TECH W, 82-76 Feb. 7 PITTSBURGH L, 67-64 Feb. 10 at Wake Forest L, 83-79 Feb. 17 at Clemson W, 78-77 Feb. 20 SYRACUSE L, 87-83 Feb. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE W, 81-70 Feb. 27 at Florida State L, 90-83 Mar. 2 at North Carolina L, 79-70 Mar. 4 DUKE L, 79-64 Mar. 9 at Pitt L, 81-73 Mar. 12 Louisville ^ W, 94-85 Mar. 13 Syracuse ^ W, 83-65 Mar. 14 Duke ^ W, 74-69 Mar. 15 Virginia ^ W, 73-65 (OT) Mar. 16 North Carolina ^ W, 84-76 Mar. 21 Texas Tech ^^ W, 80-67 Mar. 23 Oakland ^^ W, 79-73 (OT) Mar. 29 Marquette # W, 67-58 Mar. 31 Duke # W, 76-64 April 6 Purdue ## L, 63-50 * Vegas Showdown ** Basketball Hall of Fame San Antonio ^ ACC Tournament at Washington, D.C. ^^ NCAA Tournament at Pittsburgh # NCAA Tournament at Dallas ## NCAA Final Four at Glendale, Ariz. The Wolfpack won only 11 games in Casey Morsell's first season with the team, so the graduate guard was especially thrilled to be a part of this year's turnaround. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS