Kevin Keatts discusses need to stay focused after loss vs. Virginia

In their top-25 matchup against the No. 8 ranked Virginia Cavaliers, NC State came up short on the road losing 63-50. The loss was an uncharacteristic one for the Wolfpack as they set a new season-low with just 50 points.

After the game, North Carolina State head coach Kevin Keatts discussed his team’s mindset following the loss. Keatts also highlighted the Wolfpacks’ need to stay focused down the stretch.

“We’re going to take off tomorrow, and we’re not going to let this game define who we are. We’ve been on a pretty good run; hadn’t lost a game since January 21st, and we won four straight games,” said Keatts. “We gotta get back, take off tomorrow (and) Thursday; we gotta get back, work on us, and figure it out. You know the one thing I told this bunch is you didn’t accidentally get to 19 wins and nine conference games. It’s a tough place to play. Not a lot of people are going to win here. We gotta figure out why we didn’t play well in the first half and had a better second half, and then let’s move on.

Their matchup against Virginia might not have gone the way they wanted, but NC State is still in the running for the ACC regular season title. The Wolfpack is two games behind Virginia, Clemson, and Pittsburgh, who are in a three-way tie at the top of the ACC with 10-3 records in conference play. The loss to the Cavaliers might have been a tough one, but it is one the Wolfpack can definitely bounce back from, according to Keatts.

Keatts raves about personality, productivity of DJ Burns

Keatts had nothing but positivity radiating when speaking of NC State star DJ Burns.

Burns has been on fire recently, as is averaging 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds on the season for the Wolfpack. After NC State’s game against Virginia on Tuesday, Keatts spoke about the personality and positivity Burns brings to the team.

“He’s been great. What a great personality this kid is,” raved Keatts. “People are telling me, during this time of year I try to stay off Twitter as much as I can. But everybody’s telling me he’s inviting grandmothers and everybody to the games. He’s a great personality. You want to talk about NIL, that kid is probably working his butt off for that stuff. But good player. Love what he brings to our team.

“Playing him way too many minutes. 37 — I didn’t come into the game wanting him to play 37 minutes. Had 25 in my mind and it didn’t workout that way.”

Moreover, NC State had been hot before their loss to Virginia, so they’ll be looking to get back on track during their next game. The Wolfpack take on the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, and DJ Burns will look to stay on fire.