DJ Burns Jr., NC State Upset Filipowski, Duke to Reach Final Four, Stun MCBB Fans

DJ Burns Jr. and the Cinderella North Carolina State Wolfpack are still dancing.

NC State, which is the No. 11 seed in the South Region of the 2024 NCAA men's tournament, advanced to its first Final Four since 1983 with a stunning 76-64 victory over fourth-seeded Duke in Sunday's Elite Eight matchup.

The Wolfpack are the underdog story of the tournament and prevented their ACC rivals from reaching an impressive 18th Final Four in program history.

Burns, perhaps better known as America's favorite big man, dominated the Blue Devils with 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field. It wasn't just a one-man show, as DJ Horne posted 20 points, four boards and three assists in the victory.

Still, it was Burns who drew much of the social media reaction:

Despite the excellent game, Burns found himself in early foul trouble and relegated to the bench as the Blue Devils built a six-point halftime lead. Jared McCain (32 points) was almost the entire offense with Kyle Filipowski struggling, although both offenses were largely disjointed going into intermission.

That cushion didn't last long into the second half, though, as NC State battled back to take the lead even with Burns and Mohamed Diarra continuing to deal with foul trouble as they battled Filipowski on the blocks.

Horne finding his touch as a scorer alongside Burns played a significant role in the comeback and put Duke's back against the wall heading into the stretch run.

It didn't help the Blue Devils that Filipowski was also in significant foul trouble, which left them without an obvious matchup for Burns as the Wolfpack star either powered his way through or spun right past defenders with incredible grace for his size.

The two-man game extended NC State's lead to double digits with Duke continuing to guard Burns down low with single coverage and the guards struggling to stay in front of Horne. By the time Filipowski fouled out, the game was all but over with the Blue Devils ice cold on the offensive side.

Burns and Co. might face their biggest test with a Final Four showdown against Zach Edey and Purdue, but North Carolina State has a monumental victory over Duke to celebrate first.