How NC State’s DJ Burns made Texas Tech prepare differently at NCAA Tournament

PITTSBURGH — In the middle of the season, a switch flipped for NC State graduate forward DJ Burns. Instead of his pass-first mentality that he appeared to have, Burns started to go to the rim with authority. 

He became an elite scorer on the inside and has logged more than 12 points in nine of the last 14 games. What changed for the Pack’s post player? Let him answer that. 

“Honestly, I just decided to stop trying to draw fouls and want to score whether you foul me or not,” Burns said. “That’s been the thing for me, getting out of my feelings in a sense. I think now that I’m through it, I put that in the past and decided to go get buckets.”

Burns created problems all of last week at the ACC tournament with his ability to finish at the rim, including dominating the overtime semifinal against Virginia with nearly half of the Pack’s points in the period. 

Now, after propelling NC State to the ACC championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Burns is on the forefront of everyone. He was trending on X, formerly Twitter, and has become NC State’s darling in the national media. 

He’s also on the minds of NC State’s first round opponent in Pittsburgh: 6-seed Texas Tech. 

Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland, who is in his first year at the helm in Lubbock, Texas, called Burns “a match-up problem.”

“DJ Burns is one of those guys that I don’t think there’s an answer for,” McCasland said. “I think over the course of the game, you just have to learn what gives you the best opportunity that night. And there’s no way to replicate what he’s doing, neither in practice. So you just gotta rely on your team defense and activity to find ways to disrupt it enough to where you hope that you can create an advantage at some point.”

Well, Texas Tech has tried to replicate Burns in practice, using graduate assistants and managers, but nothing has done the trick. Instead of changing its preparation for Burns physically, the Red Raiders have opted to take the mental approach. 

Burns, a 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward, is a bruiser in the post, but he can also pass as well as a point guard. Oh, and he has a feathery-soft touch around the rim.

“He demands a lot, he gets the ball a lot, so there’s more attention on him,” Texas Tech forward Warren Washington said. “First you have to scout a player like that differently because mostly in college basketball, bigs don’t get the ball a lot. It’s definitely going to be a little bit of a change in preparation, but not too much.

But the Rock Hill, S.C., native’s ability to get to the rim at will is what has caused the Red Raiders to change their mental approach with their bigs, especially for junior forward Robert Jennings, who may get tossed into the starting five if 7-footer Washington (game-time decision) can not play. 

“You definitely have to come into the game ready to battle and play physical,” said Jennings, who is 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. “Especially with me being a bit undersized, I have to come into the game being prepared. I have to be a lot more physical.”

Burns’ physicality is welcomed by Texas Tech. They continued to talk about playing in a physical conference, the Big 12, and the Red Raiders believe that has prepared them for Burns. 

The mental aspect will be important, Jennings thought. 

“Be ready for it,” Jennings said of Burns’ ability to drive his shoulder in the post. “There’s no secret to it, just be ready for it. Hit first, be tough. … Expecting that is the hardest thing, doing my due-diligence to fight back is a second.”

Both Jennings and Washington compared Burns to BYU’s Aly Khalifa, who at 6-foot-11, 270 pounds, can finish at the rim but also pass at an elite level. Khalifa logged a 21-point, seven-rebound effort in the Cougars’ 85-78 loss to the Red Raiders in late-January. He also had 3 points on a 1-of-4 shooting in eight minutes in a 81-67 loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals on March 14.

Though they thought he was similar to Khalifa, there really is not a true comparison for what Burns can do on the court. 

“It is pretty unique with his size and his ability to pass the ball and to get to his spots and score the way that he does,” Jennings said. “He’s very special. He’s definitely unique at his size, for sure.”

For Washington, Texas Tech’s most experienced post player, he thought playing the likes of Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson prepared him for Burns in the post. 

“I love going against these type of guys,” Washington said. “I’m never afraid to go be physical with another guy on the court. I’m happy to do it because physicality is something I’m not scared of at all.”

But until Burns and the Wolfpack hit the court against the Red Raiders, Texas Tech knows it will not know what to expect from NC State’s star. Well, they’ll find out once the ball tips at 9:40 p.m. Thursday night in the Steel City. 

It’s a challenge Washington is delighted for.

“I’ve played against a lot of elite bigs,” Washington said. “I feel like he’s another elite big and I’m excited to go against him.”