I’m a UNC fan pulling for NC State in the Final Four. That’s real March Madness.
I have a confession.
I am pulling for NC State in the men’s Final Four this weekend. As a UNC fan and alum, I am a little embarrassed. They are technically a rival.
It’s a weird feeling. Kind of an out-of-body experience.
It started with just wanting State to win the next game. Finally, I had to look in the mirror — or more precisely, look at my phone in selfie mode — and sheepishly admit I was pulling for them to win the whole thing.
Crazily, I am not alone.
I have seen more Tar Heel fans pull for the Wolfpack than I have seen in my lifetime — or at least dating back to the days of Jim Valvano and the Cardiac Pack’s unlikely title run in 1983.
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That year, Carolina fans had the smugness of just having won the title with Jordan and them in 1982 — we could relax and enjoy the madness. Good for State.
But this year we were competitive, a No. 1 seed at that. How then did I find myself in this awkward position, rooting for the Pack?
The DJ Burns effect
For one, the Heels ain’t in it anymore, having lost to an Alabama team I am still convinced we are better than.
For two, State’s run as an 11th seed is one of the great Cinderella stories.
But I guess you could say it all started with DJ Burns. In 2018, the South Carolina native was a four-star recruit signed with Tennessee; he was red-shirted his freshman year and wound up playing at Winthrop before eventually coming to State in 2022 and into the national imagination in 2024.
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He is listed at 275, and that figure is conservative.
His size makes him interesting in a way it did for the young Charles Barkley, whose nickname back in the day at Auburn was the “round mound of rebound.”
However, it’s not just Burns’ girth but his game: unlike anyone else’s in college ball.
His razor-sharp passes to teammates and fancy footwork on the floor; the soft hands and even grace with the ball contrasting with how he just bumps taller players around like pinballs in his relentless path to the hoop. His approach is old school. He is a heady blend of body acceptance and Moses Malone.
His hairstyle — braids pulled into a pony — is not unique but is still part of his signature look.
Burns, a grad student, has become a national media darling during State’s rise and I have not been immune. Naturally, his NIL prospects are blowing up.
Recently, people lined up for a Meet the DJs event at an Applebee's in Raleigh, where he showed up with State guard DJ Horne, who is also making a name for himself in this run.
Fancy like DJ Burns? NC State basketball fans line up to meet star outside of Applebee's
State needs this
But it’s also not just Burns.
If we are to be honest, the UNC basketball rivalry with State has not been a real one in a long time. I know Wolfpack fans do not like to hear that.
Since 1975, UNC has 31 times made it to the Sweet 16, including this year, and 21 Final Fours, a national record. We have competed for 12 national titles and won six.
Regrettably, the dark blue team’s numbers are comparable to UNC’s in most respects, and the rivalry between the schools may be the best in sport. I could never pull for that particular institution to win the tournament, despite being husband to one of its fans, who I married with full knowledge of this fact.
Meanwhile, State’s third Final Four berth is this year. They won championships in 1974 behind David Thompson and the one in '83.
“For more than a generation, NC State has undeniably been the third wheel,” a USA TODAY sports columnist put it.
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When the ACC tournament championship rolled around and State defeated the Tar Heels — the regular season champion which had beaten the Pack twice during the year — that’s when I first started to have that out-of-body experience.
I was shocked to find I wasn’t too upset.
“They need this,” was my actual thought.
They really did. They weren’t going to see any parts of the Big Dance without that win — achieved by beating five teams in five days, including Dook, and winning their first ACC title in 37 years.
Annoying, yes but ...
Yes, Pack fans have been annoying on social media, with the bragging and the dissing of my Heels. I have been amused on the other hand by the Dook slander and the overexuberance which is a well-known trait of the NC State faithful — second only to their complaining about the referees, the NCAA and life.
One Wolfpack fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggested the city of Raleigh should throw the team a parade after the ACC tournament title. A parade! You can’t tell me that’s not cute. The Heels could have had 18 of ’em.
Going forward, I want State to remain competitive. Critical as I am of Duke, the rivalry lifts both programs. If State has truly arrived under Kevin Keatts, we will all be better — and I am speaking of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Four ACC teams made last weekend’s Sweet 16, but only State remains to carry the banner. If nothing else the matchup between Burns and Purdue’s big, Zach Edey, should be one for the ages.
And if the Pack should end up cutting down the nets?
Good for State.
Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts is still a Tar Heel born and Tar Heel bred and when he dies will be a Tar Heel dead. He can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: I’m a UNC fan rooting for NC State in March Madness. Thanks, DJ Burns
