Skip to main content
nc-state logo

NC State’s DJ Horne emerges from shooting slump off the bench at Louisville

image_6483441 (3)by:Noah Fleischman•01/13/24•

fleischman_noah

DJ Horne
Jan 13, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard DJ Horne (0) drives against Louisville Cardinals guard Tre White (22) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

When NC State’s starting lineup was posted at Louisville, there was a glaring absence from it: graduate guard DJ Horne. 

The Arizona State transfer had started all 15 games leading into the Pack’s road game against the Cardinals, but he began the contest on the bench. The spot on the bench was not a product of Horne’s recent shooting struggles, however. 

It was an accountability move, coach Kevin Keatts said on the postgame radio broadcast. Horne was 30 seconds late to film this week, and that resulted in his missed start. 

“Everybody’s held to a higher standard, and he responded,” Keatts said. “He could have pouted a little bit, but he came out and played really well.”

Horne played his best game in an NC State uniform against Louisville with a season-high 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field with six made 3-pointers to lead the Pack to an 89-83 road win. He also helped pace the red and white’s shooting effort to a 54.2% clip from the field.

Not a bad piece to come off the bench for the Wolfpack. 

But while he responded to his spot on the bench at tipoff in a positive way, Horne also did well in response to his shooting struggles. He was a lights-out 3-point shooter in the month of December with a 53.3% clip, but that went downhill in the first three games of January with a 24.4% mark from deep. 

That had to give, and it did against the Cardinals. 

“Just keep staying true to my game,” Horne said on the postgame radio broadcast of his approach during his cold stretch. “For me, I just know when I get in my head, it tends to not go good, so just trusting my work, trusting my teammates, trusting my coaches and everybody. I felt like today, shots just happened to fall for me.”

While Horne was held off the floor to start the game, graduate guard Michael O’Connell was in his spot. And well, it seemed like that set the Stanford transfer up for success. O’Connell had his best point output since he scored 14 in the season opener as he logged 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and he made all three of his triple attempts. 

O’Connell also dished a team-best six assists, his most since that dominant season-opening win over The Citadel when he had seven. 

Horne admired how O’Connell was able to step up for the team, which needed another guard to get going after junior Jayden Taylor was limited to just 14 minutes with foul trouble. 

“Michael had a big game for us today,” Horne said. “All throughout, whoever checked in the game brought us great energy. But specifically for Michael, it was great to see him make some shots today and get us going. I think we definitely needed that, and he stepped up to the plate.”

The Wolfpack’s point guard duo impressed together, and seemed to unlock their shooting stroke in the 2024 calendar year against the Cardinals as they combined to hit nine of the team’s 10 3-pointers. It was a much-needed win after the Pack lost to No. 7 North Carolina by double digits on Wednesday night. 

For Horne, who launched the most shots for NC State at Louisville, the Pack was able to clean up some of its mistakes — and its 27% shooting mark from the field — that it had against the Tar Heels. 

“Coming into this game, we had kind of a bad taste in our mouth with the last game,” Horne said. “We felt like we left a lot on the table that game, and this was another opportunity for us to come in and get an ACC road win, which is huge, and to clean up the mistakes we made last game.”

NC State did that, for the most part, and now it returns to Raleigh for a two-game homestand against Wake Forest on Tuesday night and Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon.

You may also like