Clash of big men highlights Final Four matchup between Purdue, NC State
PHOENIX – Each NCAA Tournament creates new heroes and household names out of players who had been toiling in relative obscurity prior to March. North Carolina State's southpaw center, DJ Burns, has been a standout player in the NCAA Tournament, winning the second round against Oakland and sharpshooter Jack Gohlke. Burns scored 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting in a 79-73 overtime win for NC State, leading them to the Elite Eight win over Duke. His next challenge will be facing 7-4 Zach Edey of Purdue, who was recently seen scoring 40 points and 16 rebounds in an Elite Eight victory over Tennessee. Despite not always facing each other one-on-one, Burns and Edey are likely to face off in the paint at least occasionally.
Published : a month ago by Dylan Sinn | The Journal Gazette in Sports
PHOENIX – Each NCAA Tournament creates new heroes and household names out of players who had been toiling in relative obscurity prior to March.
In the second round of this year's tournament, two of those players met when North Carolina State and southpaw center DJ Burns took on Oakland and sharpshooter Jack Gohlke. Burns got the better of the matchup, scoring 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting in a 79-73 overtime win for the Wolfpack. Gohlke came away impressed.
“Burns, he’s just a load," Gohlke said. "It felt like we were almost playing against left-handed (Nikola) Jokic out there. Some of the shots he was throwing in, just high faders, kissing them off the glass."
A week later, after Burns poured in 29 points on 13-for-19 shooting to lead NC State past Duke in the Elite Eight, even Jokic was impressed.
"He's amazing," said the two-time NBA MVP, who led Denver to the championship last summer. "I think he's so skilled, especially lefty. Seems like teammates like to play with him. That's a good guy."
With the 11th-seeded Wolfpack, winners of nine in a row, in the Final Four for the first time since 1983, Burns has become the breakout star of the tournament, the player every fan whose team has been eliminated has seen fit to pull for.
His next task, however, will be his most difficult – the 6-foot-9 Burns will have to go blow for blow with 7-4 Zach Edey of Purdue, the reigning national player of the year who was most recently seen piling up 40 points and 16 rebounds in an Elite Eight victory over Tennessee. The Wolfpack and Boilermakers will meet in the Final Four on Saturday at State Farm Stadium.
Asked about what the most challenging part is about taking on Edey, Burns pointed out the obvious.
"His height," he said. "He’s huge. That’s definitely an advantage."
Burns and Edey will likely not always face each other one-on-one on the block. The Wolfpack also start 6-10 Mohamed Diarra and the Boilermakers could put Edey on him to try to help the big man avoid foul trouble against the shifty Burns. NC State could try a similar gambit and put Burns on Boilermakers power forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Still, it is likely the pair of standout big men will go head-to-head in the paint at least occasionally. Those battles, between two players who are almost entirely unaccustomed to being pushed around, will be appointment television.
“(In the NCAA Tournament) every team plays so different, the players are so different, you end up with these very unique players, very unique matchups," Edey said. "(Burns) is not someone we can really scout for. We don’t have anyone that plays like him. It’s just focusing on the gameplan, focusing on what you need to do and executing."
Edey and Burns are throwback players, each at his most comfortable with his back to the basket. Edey uses his enormous size to set up a soft hook shot with his right hand and also gets plenty of baskets rolling to the rim on pick-and-roll plays with point guard Braden Smith. The threat of the lob to Edey also opens up space for Smith getting to the rim, which he did several times for easy layups against Tennessee.
Burns believes NC State can contain the Boilers' screen-and-roll actions if they remain disciplined in their defensive scheme.
"I think it’ll be fun," he said. "I don’t think it’ll be too much of a challenge if we do the right things."
Purdue coach Matt Painter pointed out, however, that the mere fact of Edey's existence in the lane makes executing defensively a difficult proposition.
"With Zach, most people don't like to get detached from him. They want to stay with him," the 19th-year Boilermakers coach said. "They're trying to cheat to get back to him, and then they don't stop the basketball. His presence alone gets people to do things and get off their defensive rules.”
Burns, meanwhile, has made his mark with a deep bag of tricks in the post – drop-steps, mid-range jumpers and floaters from as far out as 12 feet with a deft touch, plus excellent vision as a passer. At 275 pounds, the sixth-year senior uses his physical strength to push around leaner centers, like Duke's Kyle Filipowski. Edey does not fall into that category, but NC State coach Kevin Keatts believes Burns will be able to get to the rim anyway.
“He's not that bully that you guys think," Keatts said. "Listen, you spent some time with him? He's a teddy bear off the court. He doesn't bully you, he just goes around, he wills around you."
Painter compared Burns to former Michigan State and Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Randolph, another lefty with a herky-jerky game who was completely disinclined to back down against bigger players.
"What really jumps out watching DJ Burns, is how competitive he is," Painter said. "He looks like he's having a lot of fun out there."
Few have had fun against Edey this season, but Burns will get a chance to burnish his legend with a trip to the national title game on the line.
Topics: March Madness