DJ Burns Leads NC State to Their 1st ACC Win, Defeating Louisville 76-64

NC State picked up their 1st ACC win of the 2022-23 season against Louisville tonight, defeating the Cardinals 76-64, improving to 11-3 on the season.

Louisville shot the ball better (51.1%/41.9%), grabbed more boards (38/35), and shot more free throws (24/21), yet the Wolfpack found a way to win the game.

How?

Well, for starters, the Cardinals had 17 turnovers, compared to NC State’s 9.

As bad as the Wolfpack shot, they managed to get up 17 more field goal attempts than Louisville.

What really killed the Cardinals was a 17-0 run by NC State in the 2nd half, and it ended up digging a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

On an impressive note, all 5 of NC State’s starters scored in double digits. For the 2nd straight game, it was the play of DJ Burns and Casey Morsell that propelled the Wolfpack to victory.

Burns is easily my favorite NC State post player in years. His old school post play is so efficient. His 17 points led the way, and he shot an insane 8 of 10 from the field. He also had 6 boards.

Casey Morsell is establishing himself as one of the best three point shooters in the nation. He scored 15 points tonight, with all of his points coming from three point buckets, hitting 5 of 7. Morsell is now shooting 48.8% from beyond the arch on the year.

Jack Clark and Terquavion Smith both scored 14 points, though neither one of them shot particularly well. Clark was 4 of 11 from the field, and 1 of 7 from three. On brand for Clark, he found other ways to contribute, leading the team in rebounds and assists, with 8 and 6 respectively. Smith was 4 of 14 from the field, but his 3 three’s (3-6) were the spark to the Wolfpack’s big run in the 2nd half. He also had 5 assists.

Jarkel Joiner also didn’t shoot well (4-11), but managed to score 13 points, hitting clutch free throws down the stretch.

The Wolfpack was a 17-point favorite, failing to cover the spread. NC State has covered the spread in only 1 of their last 8 games.

Four Factors Breakdown (NC State/Louisville)

Effective Field Goal%: 50%/55.6%

Turnover%: 11.2%/23.43

Offensive Rebound%: 37.5%/20%

Free Throw Rate: 33.9%/53.3%

NC State will play at Clemson next on December 30th at 4pm on the ACC Network.