DJ Burns is the Star of March Madness

The Final Four in the men's tournament is all set. Let’s discuss.

First off let's be honest, UConn looks damn near unbeatable. Illinois put a scare in them for a half, but then UConn decided to stop playing with their food and proceeded to put Illinois away with a 30-0 run. Illinois didn't score a point in 50 minutes of real time. Alabama and UNC played a pretty solid game, but it seemed like Bama was destined to make their first Final Four ever. They are playing with a little extra oomph. Purdue and Tennessee played a decent game. Dalton Knetch and Zach Edey put on a fun back and forth. It was all about those two and they made it a good game down to the wire. But, in all reality, the Duke-NC State game was my favorite game to watch all weekend, and that is all due to DJ Burns.

This kid is my new favorite college hooper. First off, when Duke gets beat a good amount of the rest of the rooting country wins. I loathe Duke. I always have. I know a bunch of other people feel the same way. My son is a Duke fan, so I felt bad for him. But the college basketball fan in me was absolutely thrilled to see them get beat by a team they should have had no problem with last night. A big thorn in their side was Burns. He was dominant last night. He had 29 points and looked great doing it. He was spinning and throwing in nice floating hook shots. He was backing down less thick defenders and scoring with ease. When Duke tried to go at him on offense, he stood his ground, didn't foul and got enough stops. Make no mistake, Burns is a solid basketball player. His footwork is impeccable. He has an incredibly soft touch around the rim. He knows what works best for him and his team and he showed that to the entire country last night.

What makes Burns my new favorite player, his size. He is thick. He is a big dude. He appears to like his sweets. And this is why I love watching this kid play. I too am a thick athlete. I played football, basketball and baseball growing up. And when I was on a basketball court, from 8th grade until a few years back, I was compared to guys like Charles Barkley and Robert Traylor. As I became a better passer I heard Boris Diaw's name in reference to mine more and more. I heard all the trash talk nicknames too. I was called jelly roll. I heard, and said people were correct in their thinking, about how many cinnamon rolls I could eat. People brought up food a lot to me because I was heavier. I'm sure DJ Burns has heard all of this, and so much more. And he has taken it in stride. He plays the game with passion and love. He is almost always smiling while he is on the floor. He is having a good time. I saw some Duke fans trash talking him during the game yesterday, and he responded by letting them know that their season was over. I love that. He didn't stoop to their level, he just let them know a fact. I love this about him. He doesn't have to degrade other people who may be degrading him for his weight. He loves himself, he is happy with the body he has and he has become a star now. But I think only part of it is due to his weight. He happens to be an incredibly skilled basketball player too. And he has shown that during NC State's improbable run to the Final Four. He has been the best player on the floor for them this whole time. And his demeanor and play have been a total blast to see. I have told my son to watch him too, because his footwork is better than most.

DJ Burns has taken hold of the moment and he is thriving. I want to see it continue all the way to a title. Purdue stands in the way, as does UConn and/or Alabama. But if anyone can do it during this specific tournament, DJ Burns is the best man for the job. I know who I am rooting for the rest of the way. Go Wolfpack and Go DJ Burns. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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