PC: Horne, Morsell, And Burns Meet With Media in Dallas

NC State's DJ Horne, Casey Morsell, and DJ Burns met with the media Thursday afternoon in the lead-up to the Wolfpack's matchup versus Marquette in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.    

NOTE: Click the clip above to listen to the press conference.

You guys lost seven of the last nine regular season games, going on to win five games in five days at the ACC Tournament, and now you are in the Sweet 16. What changed? What helped you guys turn things around here?
DJ BURNS JR.: I would say our defensive mentality. I think that we've been playing way more together. Teams aren't able to just drive our gaps like they were, and they aren't just able to straight-line drive us like they were. I think weave tightened up in that aspect for sure.

CASEY MORSELL: I agree with DJ. I think another big key for us is that we're not beating ourselves. We're not our own worst enemy. We're clicking, but the defense is one of our biggest priorities, but we're kind of holding teams to one shot, one and done, and just doing different things so that it makes it tough for the opponent.

DJ HORNE: I agree with both of them. We're not beating ourselves, and the defensive intensity has increased, and I think that just plays into the focus level and just the connectedness all together for our team and our program. It just increased. That's what translates to these wins.

For all three of you. You all three transferred in at different times. What was the experience when you first got to NC State and then as a transfer, how did that impact how you would welcome in the rest of you guys as you came in?
DJ HORNE: Being from Raleigh, I was a little familiar with NC State, but never in the program. So coming here, I had known some of the guys in the program, so it felt a little bit better coming in from day one. Now that I'm here I would say it feels a lot different. Especially with all the recent success we found and everything. I would say it's been great.

CASEY MORSELL: I would say coming in -- this is my third year here, and when I first got to State, our season was very unsuccessful. We only had four wins in the conference. I feel like after that season we've just gotten better and better, last year having a tournament appearance, finishing sixth in the league. This year advancing this far.

The fact that we've gotten better and better since I've been in Raleigh, it's just been a great journey. It's been a roller coaster in terms of emotions. A lot of ups and downs. Raleigh is in a great position now that this is my last run.

DJ BURNS JR.: I would say my experience when I first got here was a little different. I was playing behind Dusan, and it was my opportunity to be patient. When I first came here, I asked God to give me the opportunity to learn patience, and he put me right into it immediately when I came here. I think that it's paid off now, but it was definitely a different experience from these guys coming in.

You have been outscoring opponents by 34 in the tournament so far down in the paint. What kind of challenges do Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin present for you?
DJ BURNS JR.: They're two guys who have the ability to shoot as well. I forget how to pronounce his name, and I'm not going to do that and say something crazy. They both bring the presence being as tall as they are and as long as they are. They are really good at doing the things that they do, like rolling and dunking the ball. The floaters in the middle, they have a lot of good players, and a lot of good pieces together. Their bigs, they kind of bring them together.

Kind of going off that question for any of you guys, when you are looking at film of Marquette and watching games, just what kind of challenges do they present?
CASEY MORSELL: I would say they test your defensive awareness. They do so many actions. One of the different things they do is they use the five man as a ball handler. They set screens. They cut. They do different things on the perimeter with the five man.

I feel like everyone is going to be at some point going to guard the perimeter. We're just going to be a lot of different actions and rotations that we kind of got to be aware for that they do.

I'm curious if any of you have any superstitions like your coach with the shoes that he's been wearing every game. Is there anything you've been sticking to the last few games as you've been on this hot streak?
DJ BURNS JR.: Pretty simple for me. I just use the same playlist. I've added songs to it, but I've had the same play list from high school that I listen to specifically before games.

DJ HORNE: I would say just before the game I like to pray, so I keep that very consistent.

CASEY MORSELL: I mean, I guess I do both. I got the same play list, and I pray before every game, so that's pretty much what's been my routine.

DJ Burns, the tournament every year seems to create fan favorites through personalities, and you have exuded that on camera, just looking from afar. Do you sense that at all, and do you feel like you are becoming a fan favorite? Kind of related to that is any NIL opportunities come out of what you all have done so far in the tournament?
DJ BURNS JR.: Yes, sir. I'm not going to speak on the NIL thing just because there are still some things that need to be finalized before we speak out on it, but as far as the whole fan favorite thing, yeah, I have definitely noticed it.

It's been kind of crazy going from having almost zero media attention to a camera following you around all day has kind of been -- it's been cool, but you know, definitely noticed it. Hard to miss it.

 I would like all three to comment. When you are ACC Tournament on Tuesday, you haven't had the season you wanted to have, does it really enter your mind that you could go on a run like this, or are you just kind of looking at one game trying to stay alive? How do you mentally process that when you are down to that literal last chance to do something?
DJ HORNE: I just feel like we came into that tournament with new life. We knew that it was a new season basically for us to go in there and make something happen. Just looking back over our whole season, we knew that we were a good team, and a lot of the teams that we had in our path to get to where we wanted to get to, we've battled with a lot of those teams. We knew that we could compete and win those games.

CASEY MORSELL: That's pretty much what it was. We went into this postseason with the approach that it's a new season. Even in our meeting before we went to D.C., Keatts wrote on the board 0-0. He is, like, every team is 0-0. That was the mindset and the approach we went down to D.C. with.

Every game was its own championship literally. We didn't really look ahead. We never looked past anyone. Even three, four games in, until it's done, then we'll sit there and enjoy it. That's the same approach we've had in this tournament.

DJ BURNS JR.: I would say, yeah, I thought we could do it the whole time. If you look back at the teams that we played to get to that point, Louisville we played them and took Syracuse to some close games. We had already beaten and went to overtime with Virginia. Close games for the most part against Duke.

So we knew we could do it. It was just a matter of doing the things that were necessary to get the job done, and I think we've taken that momentum and kept it rolling.

Casey, following up on that, how do you think that mentality that you've had to carry since then helps now that the stakes are quite a bit bigger?
CASEY MORSELL: I would say just don't change. I feel like we've been in so many positions. We've been tested so many times throughout this run that it's been easy for guys to kind of fold and fall into the pressure. It hasn't happened. Whatever teams or whatever happens or even on the outside, we just have to kind of keep that same connection for the rest of this tournament.

Can you guys each break down the incredible chemistry that's developed on this team over the last seven games and explain it?
DJ BURNS JR.: I don't know. I think it's always been there. I don't think that we treat each other differently now. Everyone is paying attention because we're winning. That's what winning does. It's going to seem like you're a little closer together when you are winning.

Don't get me wrong, we're still building great memories, but I don't think that too many of us -- I think we mixed well from the team we got together. I think by November we had a pretty good chemistry going.

CASEY MORSELL: I agree with DJ. We've been very close throughout it all, throughout the good time and the bad. Just because the results don't show up on the court doesn't mean we weren't close. Just trying to figure everything out. There were a lot of new faces, a lot of new people trying to adjust to the program, to the culture, and it took time.

The fact that we're finally starting to click, it's great. It's great timing.

DJ HORNE: I just agree with them. Coming in I felt like from day one the vibes were always there on and off the court. Like DJ was saying, you win like how we've been winning anywhere. It's going to bring anybody closer together. I think the main thing we'll take from this is just learning how to win and learning how hard it is to win as a team so that after it's all said and done with us, you can kind of set the foundation and hopefully keep that here at NC State.