www.cbssports.com Open in urlscan Pro
146.75.121.188  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | section: | slug:
nc-state-stuns-north-carolina-wins-acc-tournament-behind-d-j-burns-jr-dj-horne-and-an-unshakeable-spirit
| sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | 6-keys:
media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories
 * CBSSports.com
 * 247Sports
 * MaxPreps
 * SportsLine
 * Shop
 * Play Golf
 * Stubhub
 * Essentials
 * Fanatics Sportsbook

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 * CBS Sports Home
 * Sports HQ
 * Fantasy
 * Masters
 * Masters Live
 * Golf
 * NFL
 * NCAA BB

 * NCAA WBB
 * MLB
 * Soccer
 * NBA
 * NCAA FB
 * NHL
 * WNBA
 * MMA

 * Champions League
 * WWE
 * Boxing
 * NASCAR
 * Motor Sports
 * UFL
 * NWSL
 * Tennis

 * Olympics
 * Big3
 * High School
 * WSOP
 * Horse Racing 
 * Shop
 * Promotions
 * Essentials

 * PBR 
 * 3Ice 
 * Stubhub
 * Play Golf 



 * Home
 * March Madness Live
 * Scores
 * NCAA Tournament
 * Bracket
 * Expert Brackets
 * Picks
 * Games
 * NIT
 * Schedule
 * Standings
 * Rankings
 * Stats
 * Odds
 * NBA Draft
 * Prospect Rankings
 * Teams
 * Women's BB
 * Players
 * HBCU All Stars
 * 2024 Top Recruits
 * 2024 Top Classes
 * CBS Sports Classic
 * College Shop
 * Stubhub
 * * Home
   * March Madness Live 
   * Scores
   * NCAA Tournament
   * Bracket
   * Expert Brackets
   * Picks
   * Games
   * NIT 
   * Schedule
   * Standings
   * Rankings
   * Stats
   * Odds
   * NBA Draft
   * Prospect Rankings
   * Teams
   * Women's BB
   * Players
   * HBCU All Stars 
   * 2024 Top Recruits 
   * 2024 Top Classes 
   * CBS Sports Classic
   * College Shop
   * Stubhub

 * Play
   
   GAMES
   
   Play Now
   
   Men's Brackets
   
   Play Now
   
   Women's Brackets
   
   View your Leagues
   
   FANTASY BASEBALL
   
   FANTASY FOOTBALL
   
   FOOTBALL PICK'EM
   
   COLLEGE PICK'EM
   
   FANTASY BASKETBALL
   
   FANTASY HOCKEY
   
   FRANCHISE GAMES
   
   See All Sports Games
 * Watch
   
   24/7 SPORTS NEWS NETWORK
   
   
    * Paramount+
    * CBS Sports Golazo Network
    * Masters Live
    * PGA Tour on CBS
    * UEFA Champions League
    * UEFA Europa League
    * Italian Serie A
    * Watch CBS Sports Network
    * TV Shows & Listings

 * Podcasts
   
   THE EARLY EDGE
   
   A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast
   
   WITH THE FIRST PICK
   
   NFL Draft is coming up!
   
    * Podcasts Home
    * Eye On College Basketball
    * The First Cut Golf
    * NFL Pick Six
    * Cover 3 College Football
    * Fantasy Football Today

 * Log In
 * My Teams
   Organize / See All Teams Help
   Account Settings Log Out


 * NCAA Tournament coverage
 * Live Bracket
 * Expert Brackets
 * Bracket Games


NC STATE STUNS NORTH CAROLINA, WINS ACC TOURNAMENT BEHIND D.J. BURNS JR., DJ
HORNE AND AN UNSHAKEABLE SPIRIT


HOW A TEAM OF PLAYERS WHO TOOK THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED ARRIVED ON TOP OF THE ACC

By Zachary Pereles
Mar 17, 2024 at 2:42 am ET • 5 min read
 * 
 * 
 * 

USATSI

WASHINGTON -- D.J. Burns Jr. turned to his parents, beaming. Dwight Sr. had a
matching smile. Takela wasn't smiling yet, but rather holding back tears while
not counting her chickens ... yet. If anyone knew not to assume anything until
the clock hit zeroes in the ACC Tournament, it was NC State fans.

But somehow the team playing its fifth game in five days was the team surging to
the finish line. The 50-50 balls? The key stops? The big buckets from places
familiar and surprising? They all belonged to NC State.

And so when Burns Jr.'s job was done, after he had exited to an uproarious
ovation and after his teammates had done the same, he had a simple message for
his parents just before the buzzer sounded on an 84-76 win.

"I told you."

What, exactly, had he told them?

"I told them last night that I was gonna give it my all," he said. "I didn't
care how many points I scored, I didn't care anything about that other stuff."



He may not have cared about his points, but his team needed every one of his 20.
In his 160th career game, he hit his first career 3-pointer -- he had been 0 for
10 in his career -- and tied a career high with seven assists. And he did it all
with a smile on his face.

"I tell anyone: When I stop having fun with it, I'll be done, and if I can't
smile, it's probably not something I'm gonna do," he said. "Life is all about
having fun. It just happens to be through basketball. I'm gonna be a happy
person regardless."

Burns' 20 points were second only to DJ Horne, who posted 29 and also had his
family in the crowd. They donned "Why Not Us?" T-shirts. It was the phrase Horne
said after a 74-69 upset over Duke in the quarterfinals, and his mother Tivona
knew she had to make some spur-of-the-moment apparel.  



"It hasn't even hit me yet," she said as the team waited to load the bus.
"Happy, proud of them. They accomplished a lot. Nobody thought they would be
here. Tuesday to Saturday? They did it. They did it."

Why not NC State? The Wolfpack lost seven of their last nine regular-season
games, including their final four in a row.

Why not NC State? No team in ACC Tournament history had won five games in five
days, and the only team to do it since the NCAA Tournament began in 1939 was
Kemba Walker's storied 2011 UConn team.



Why not NC State? The last 12 consecutive ACC Tournament title winners had led
the championship game at halftime; the Wolfpack trailed by one at the break
despite an excellent half. Surely they'd run out of steam, right?

Wrong. This was a team that would not be denied. And it started -- and ended --
with an unshakeable belief. For Burns, it started nearly two years ago, when he
arrived in Raleigh by way of Knoxville, Tennessee (a redshirt season at
Tennessee) and then Rock Hill, South Carolina (three seasons at Winthrop), and
Kevin Keatts believed in him.

"I'm so thankful for that man," Burns said. "He put me into a whole 'nother
realm of basketball. He told me when I came here that nobody believes in me,
[but] he does, and we're gonna get it done. We didn't get it done in the first
year, but look where we're at now.



"I told my coaches, 'I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna get the job done for you.' I had
a little rough patch this season. I told them, 'I'm gonna make up for every
moment,' and that's what we did."

Plenty of teams believe they can win. Very few deliver. And for that it takes
more than belief. It takes some talented basketball players, and for one magical
stretch in the nation's capital, those talented NC State pieces finally came
together. Burns went right at ACC All-Defensive Team member Armando Bacot. Horne
went right at every defender North Carolina tried to throw his way. After
missing the first game of the tournament, the hometown hero played one of the
finest games of his long-winding career -- two years at Illinois State and two
more at Arizona State -- on the biggest stage.

"I'm feeling all types of emotions right now, but the job is not done," he said.
"Now we're playing in March. This is the real reason why I came home. ... I see
the team that won back in '87. They still walk around with so much respect, man,
and to know that this is a different generation now and my name will be a part
of that -- some history -- I can't even put it into my thought process right
now."



There's a theme here: guys who in the moment couldn't quite believe it happened
but always believed it could happen. There's another theme: guys who had been
counted out, who had ups and downs not just this season but at prior stops.
Exactly zero players in the Wolfpack's seven-man rotation started his career in
Raleigh, North Carolina. They've found not just a home there, but a family that
came together in a way no ACC team has done before.

"This team has been through so much, and everyone could have easy checked out
and gave up," said Casey Morsell, a Virginia transfer. "It was easy, whether it
be injuries, guys leaving, guys not playing, just different rotations ...
everything possible that could go wrong this season happened, and we just stayed
together, kept believing. We love each other, talk every day. We're brothers,
and that bond will never be broken."

Their spirit could never be broken, either. Morsell briefly left with a groin
issue but returned, his defense tenacious. Missouri transfer (by way of France)
Mohamed Diarra was the poster child of the bumps and bruises required to win a
title, a cut lip unable to contain a massive smile after an 11-point, 14-rebound
performance. It was his second double-double of the tournament after just two in
the regular season. Stanford transfer Michael O'Connell, who hit an all-time
buzzer beater to force overtime against Virginia, snuck in with 10 points, even
on an off shooting night.



It's a group full of second and third chances, of young men who wanted a home
and found one, of players who bought into each other more than anything else.

"This is for everyone who needs a story about an underdog who a lot of people
are betting against," Morsell said. "We were them. We were those guys, and we
just embraced it. We embraced the story, we embraced the struggle, and that's
why we're here today."

What NC State just accomplished will not soon be forgotten, but as DJ Horne
said, they're not done.



And after five magical days, that begs the question: Why not NC State?










OUR LATEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL STORIES

WOMEN'S CBB POWER RANKINGS: IOWA PLUMMETS WITHOUT CLARK

ISABEL GONZALEZ • 3 MIN READ

USC PG ISAIAH COLLIER DECLARES FOR 2024 NBA DRAFT

CAMERON SALERNO • 1 MIN READ

PITINO, DONOVAN, DREW TOP POSSIBLE KENTUCKY CANDIDATES

CAMERON SALERNO • 5 MIN READ

ARKANSAS HIRES HALL OF FAME COACH JOHN CALIPARI

CAMERON SALERNO • 2 MIN READ

JOHN CALIPARI EXITS KENTUCKY: TOP UK COACH CANDIDATES

CBS SPORTS STAFF • 4 MIN READ

STANFORD'S TARA VANDERVEER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

JACK MALONEY • 2 MIN READ

Share

SHARE VIDEO

 * 
 * 
 * 

Link copied!


 * NC STATE SHOWS RESILIENCY IN ACC TOURNAMENT RUN
   
   Zachary Pereles 5 min read
   


 * ARKANSAS HIRES HALL OF FAME COACH JOHN CALIPARI
   
   Cameron Salerno 2 min read
   


 * UCONN IS NCAA'S NEXT DYNASTY AFTER 6TH TITLE
   
   Matt Norlander 8 min read
   


 * HOUSTON ATOP WAY-TOO-EARLY RANKINGS
   
   Gary Parrish 1 min read
   


 * ZACH EDEY, CAITLIN CLARK LOSE LAST GAME
   
   Dennis Dodd 5 min read
   


 * WATCH: ENTIRE 'ONE SHINING MOMENT'
   
   Chip Patterson 1 min read
   


 * USC PG ISAIAH COLLIER DECLARES FOR 2024 NBA DRAFT
   
   Cameron Salerno 1 min read
   


 * HOW UCONN BAITED PURDUE INTO ITS TRAP
   
   Kyle Boone 4 min read
   


 * UK STAR ROB DILLINGHAM DECLARES FOR 2024 NBA DRAFT
   
   David Cobb 2 min read
   


 * KENTUCKY'S CALIPARI NEARING DEAL TO TAKE ARKANSAS JOB
   
   Cameron Salerno 4 min read
   

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 * Help
 * About Us
 * Careers
 * Newsletters
 * Mobile Apps
 * Closed Captioning
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms Of Use
 * Manage Cookies
 * California Notice



© 2004-2024 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.

CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com
is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.

Images by Getty Images and US Presswire




REVIEW AND MANAGE YOUR COOKIE SETTINGS

If you consent, we and our 134 partners can store and access personal
information on your device to provide a more personalised browsing experience.
This is accomplished through processing personal data collected from browsing
data stored in cookies. You can provide/withdraw consent and object to
processing based on a legitimate interest at any time by clicking on the
‘Manage’ button.
For more information refer Privacy Policy.


WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS DATA TO PROVIDE:

Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select
advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to
select personalised advertising. Measure advertising performance. Understand
audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources.
Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of
Partners

Accept Reject
Manage



ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY




 * YOUR PRIVACY


 * ESSENTIAL


 * ANALYTIC & PERFORMANCE


 * FUNCTIONAL


 * MARKETING AND ADVERTISING


 * SOCIAL MEDIA


 * STORE AND/OR ACCESS INFORMATION ON A DEVICE 128 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT ADVERTISING 59 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * CREATE PROFILES FOR PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 97 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * USE PROFILES TO SELECT PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 92 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS
   PURPOSE


 * MEASURE ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE 76 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * UNDERSTAND AUDIENCES THROUGH STATISTICS OR COMBINATIONS OF DATA FROM
   DIFFERENT SOURCES 79 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * DEVELOP AND IMPROVE SERVICES 61 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT CONTENT 11 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE


 * ENSURE SECURITY, PREVENT AND DETECT FRAUD, AND FIX ERRORS 103 PARTNERS CAN
   USE THIS PURPOSE


 * DELIVER AND PRESENT ADVERTISING AND CONTENT 87 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

YOUR PRIVACY

We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the
delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our
website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent and
legitimate interest. You may exercise your right to consent or object to a
legitimate interest, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in
the link under each purpose. These choices will be signaled to our vendors
participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Privacy Policy

List of IAB Vendors‎

ESSENTIAL

Always Active

These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our Services.
Essential cookies cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your device
to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the Service will
not work.

Cookies Details‎

ANALYTIC & PERFORMANCE

Analytic & Performance Inactive


These Cookies allow us to collect information about how visitors use our
properties. Some examples include counting visits and traffic sources, so we can
measure and improve the performance of our services. If you do not allow these
Cookies we will not know when users have visited our properties and will not be
able to monitor performance.

Cookies Details‎

FUNCTIONAL

Functional Inactive


These Cookies enable the services to provide enhanced functionality and
personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our services. If you do not allow these Cookies then
some or all of these services may not function properly.

Cookies Details‎

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

Marketing and Advertising Inactive


These Cookies may be set by us or through our services by our advertising
partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your
interests and show you relevant advertising on this and on other properties. If
you do not allow these Cookies, you will still see ads, but you will experience
less relevant advertising.

Cookies Details‎

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media Inactive


These Cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to
the services to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks.
They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites, building up a
profile of your interests to show you relevant content and advertisements on the
relevant social networks. If you do not allow these Cookies you may not be able
to use or see these sharing tools.

Cookies Details‎

STORE AND/OR ACCESS INFORMATION ON A DEVICE 128 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Store and/or access information on a device Inactive


Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers,
randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other
information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported
technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each
time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes
presented here.

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT ADVERTISING 59 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Use limited data to select advertising Inactive


Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such
as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type
or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit
the number of times an ad is presented to you).

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

CREATE PROFILES FOR PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 97 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Create profiles for personalised advertising Inactive


Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit,
content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you
(for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other
websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a
profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects).
Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more
relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

USE PROFILES TO SELECT PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 92 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Use profiles to select personalised advertising Inactive


Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising
profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or
apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and
personal aspects.

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

MEASURE ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE 76 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Measure advertising performance Inactive


Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact
with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other
users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance,
whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a
product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the
relevance of advertising campaigns.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

UNDERSTAND AUDIENCES THROUGH STATISTICS OR COMBINATIONS OF DATA FROM DIFFERENT
SOURCES 79 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different
sources Inactive


Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user
profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your
interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising)
content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which
target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

DEVELOP AND IMPROVE SERVICES 61 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Develop and improve services Inactive


Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with
ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to
build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of
audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or
improvement of user profiles and identifiers.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT CONTENT 11 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE



Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as
the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type,
or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit
the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

ENSURE SECURITY, PREVENT AND DETECT FRAUD, AND FIX ERRORS 103 PARTNERS CAN USE
THIS PURPOSE

Always Active

Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent
activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure
systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct
any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery
of content and ads and in your interaction with them.

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 

DELIVER AND PRESENT ADVERTISING AND CONTENT 87 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE

Always Active

Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to
ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to
facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.

List of IAB Vendors‎ | View Illustrations 
Back Button


VENDORS LIST

Filter Button
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Save Settings
Reject Accept

Manage Cookies