In one of the most unlikely of the upset game victories in the Round of 32 weekend for the NCAA’s March Madness men’s basketball tournament, No. 11 seed N.C. State managed to snag a win against Oakland, a win that was improbable given their generally lackluster season. Among those who led the team to its surprise victory over Oakland was the team’s star forward, D.J. Burns Jr. Burns, after the shocking victory, made sure to thank the Lord.
Noting just how impressive Burns is on the court and how much he contributes to his team, Sports Spectrum noted, “At 6-foot-9, 275 pounds, Burns’ presence on a basketball court is hard to miss. Even less so once the ball is in play. He poured in 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists while tying for the team-high with 42 minutes played in the Wolfpack’s 79-73 overtime victory against Oakland on Saturday in the Round of 32.”
After the game, Burns commented on the team’s improbable victory during the press conference, saying that the team doesn’t care if people aren’t always behind it, but is ready to win regardless. “They didn’t really believe in us. They probably still don’t but that doesn’t matter to us,” Burns said. He continued, “We’re just going to stay together. If you’re supporting us, thank you. If not, that’s what it is.”
But that wasn’t all. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) after his team’s shocking win, Burns said, “Thanks God🤞🏾”. That came in response to CBS Sports College Basketball, which posted, “DJ Burns Jr is the 1st @PackMensBball
player with 20 points ad 10 rebounds in an NCAA Tourney game since 1985.”
Commenting on Burns’ post, people left messages of faith and support. One commenter, for example, wrote, “Keep it going young man! WPN is behind you and you are representing our school and the Lord so well. All glory to God!” Another commenter wrote, “These games have been so fun to watch! Thank you, God bless and Go Pack! ❤️🐺❤️”
Still another wrote, “You radiate joy!! We love watching you and the whole team play! It’s obviously a lot of hard work but you all look like real brothers out there, supporting each other and having a lot of fun! That’s what it is all about. Congratulations!! There is nothing you can’t do – Go Pack!”
This isn’t the first time that Burns has spoken about God. The player, whose bio says, “Bible🙏🏾Books📓Ball🏀,” also commented on how God has blessed him in an interview last season, around the time he decided to transfer to NC State, saying, “God really blessed me with the opportunity to be able to showcase my talent more often, so it’s a blessing.”
Similarly, the year before, in March of 2022, Burns took to Twitter to proclaim his faith and remind people that everything is possible through God, saying, “Glory be to God. Through him it is always possible to overcome obstacles💯”
By CavsFan45 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145750492