‘Why not us?’ NC State blocks out negative noise, faces Syracuse next in ACC Tournament
Take a look at the replies on any tweet from the N.C. State basketball X account. Some are passive aggressive at best, outright hostile at worst, with the commenters stating they want coach Kevin Keatts fired, even after beating Louisville, 94-85, in the ACC Tournament first round.
Someone even created an account called, “Is Kevin Keatts fired yet?”
There were congratulatory comments from fans who support the Pack through the good and the bad, but the barrage of negative comments have become tiresome to the team.
Several players said they work hard to compartmentalize the criticism or outright ignore it. .
“Our motto all season has been, ‘It’s only us in this locker room.’ That’s really all we worry about, care about,” DJ Horne said, noting his personal growth after transferring from Arizona State. “Can’t really let too much of the outside distractions get into this locker room, because that’s when you start seeing disconnection and everything.”
DJ Burns said the team has done a good job of maintaining its connection and relationships. They work hard to hold each other accountable while creating a culture of brotherhood and encouragement, kind of like siblings.
Burns also said he doesn’t see a problem with the program and will defend his teammates or Keatts.
“We’re led by a good coach. We’ve got players who were really hard,” Burns said. “We just sometimes fail to put it together. I think that we have to do a better job of that as players listening to the coaches’ game plan.”
“We played every team in the league, and we’ve proven that we can compete,” Casey Morsell said. “It’s just all about putting it together for a full 40 minutes.”
N.C. State struggled on defense against Louisville, allowing more than 80 points and allowing the Cardinals to tie the game with five minutes left. It shut down Tre White and Mike James, but Skyy Clark scored 36 points.
On the opposite end of the floor, five players scored at least 10 points. Morsell led the way with 25. Burns added 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Now comes round two, No. 7 seed Syracuse vs. No. 10 seed N.C. State at 7 p.m. Wednesday. It’ll probably be another tough game, but the Wolfpack refuses to give up. It’s trying to live by famed N.C. State coach Jim Valvano’s quote, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
“Man, we’re a good team. The ACC is a tough league. To be expected to just run the table in this league is a big ask,” Horne said. “The fact we’ve been able to stay together, been able to put good wins together throughout our season, it’s been good. March is its own season within itself. Anything’s possible. Why not us?”
That’s the culture the program was built on, and it’s the one this team hopes people can see.
“Right now, the task at hand is trying to win an ACC championship,” Morsell said. “We have all the horses to do it and get it done. Whatever happens happens. I think if we make history, then all that speculation will definitely go away.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2024 at 1:00 AM.
