Is DJ Burns a senior? NC State forward's collegiate career explored

DJ Burns Jr. has been a key reason for NC State advancing to the Final Four in the 2024 March Madness Tournament. The Wolfpack have had a Cinderella run and have been backed by Burns, who has become a fan favorite. The forward is 6-foot-9, 275 pounds, and in his second year at NC State.

Is DJ Burns a senior?

DJ Burns is a senior, as he began his collegiate career with the Winthrop Eagles.

Burns began his college career at Tennessee but redshirted and did not play. He then transferred to the Eagles, where he first saw action during the 2019-20 season. After three years at Winthrop, he transferred to NC State.

With the Wolfpack, Burns has been a key player in their Cinderella run, but he gives credit to the entire team.

“I’ll say like I’ve been saying the whole tournament. When I stop having fun with basketball, I’ll stop playing,” said Burns, via Sportsnet. “There’s just been a total switch in our commitment. Nobody’s being late to things. Nobody’s being a problem on the court. Everybody’s come together.”

With the Wolfpack, Burns has been hard to defend. He often gets double-teamed, but assistant coach Kareem Richardson says that Burns has been key for NC State as he is a tough player to defend.

“We just didn’t feel like we could pass up on on a guy like that that could give us a low-post presence,” Richardson said, via TheAthletic. “We knew he wouldn’t be like a normal big man for Coach (Kevin) Keatts. Wasn’t going to be those rim runs, or getting dunks off the ball screen, but to Coach’s credit, he kind of changed his style.”

DJ Burns is averaging 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, and against Duke, he had 29 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Who is NC State playing in the Final Four?

The NC State Wolfpack will play the Purdue Boilermakers in the Final Four.

The game will take place on Saturday, April 6 at the State Farm Stadium, with the tip-off set at 6:09 p.m. ET.

NC State enters the game as a nine-point underdog, which is nothing new for the Wolfpack as they have been the underdog all tournament.

The winner of NC State vs. Purdue will play the winner of the UConn-Alabama matchup in the national championship game on Monday, April 8.