Multiple times each week, The Gaming Juice’s resident action seeker, Brad Evans, will attempt to blast the ‘books with his favorite selections on sides, totals, props, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — but that’s up to you.
The pick — SGP: Purdue -1.5, NC State +19.5, UNDER 155.5 (+115, BetMGM)
BetMGM:
He owns two vending machines. His frame is more indicative of a starting NFL left tackle than a finesse hoopster. His smile is infectious. His social media game is on point. And, as Scott Van Pelt showcased earlier this week, Nikola Jokic — yes, the two-time MVP and reigning NBA champ — praised HIS game at a recent postgame presser.
Have a NCAA Tournament. Have a March. Hell, have a year. Bask in your glory, DJ Burns.
Thanks to @beastboyburns of @PackMensBball for joining SVP tonight on the show. pic.twitter.com/p02MRa7jl6
— Stanford Steve (@StanfordSteve82) April 3, 2024
Burns, North Carolina State’s jovial big man who’s listed at 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds (give me the OVER on 300 pounds), has become Cinderella’s main squeeze. He and the Wolfpack have produced a mesmerizing run, one that would’ve never occurred without Michael O’Connell’s banked, buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Virginia in the ACC Tournament. Including that fortuitous around-the-rim shot, which sparked an OT victory, the resilient bunch ripped off five wins over five grueling days to earn the automatic berth.
Carrying over that momentum as a No. 11 seed in the South Region, NC State toppled Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette and Duke — for the second time in March, no less — to reach Glendale with the school’s first Final Four appearance since Jim Valvano’s 1983 national championship team.
Stick it, Chapel Hill and Durham. Inside the Research Triangle, Raleigh, for once, has residents chattering teeth in Red Terror.
Now faced with quite literally their biggest challenge yet, Burns and friends have the daunting task of containing Zach Edey and Purdue in Saturday’s first national semifinal.
Over their past dozen games, the Wolfpack rank 16 spots below the Boilermakers, according to BartTorvik’s overall advanced analytics. Really coming alive offensively, Kevin Keatts’ crew has totaled 1.202 points per possession, shooting 52.1% from two and 36.3% from three. It’s also been excellent defensively, allowing a mere 0.977 points per possession and under 40% shooting from the field in a stirring NCAA Tournament in which it has performed cohesively on both ends.
NC State is more than just Burns. The Wolfpack possess a gnarly bite because O'Connell, Mohamed Diarra, Jayden Taylor, Ben Middlebrooks, Casey Morsell and star guard DJ Horne all have elevated their games.
Purdue punched its Final Four ticket by employing an often brutalizing balanced approach. Over the last 30 days, the Boilers ranked top-45 in effective field-goal percentage offense and defense and, in the least shocking development of the century, they commanded the glass (37.9 offensive rebounding percentage), scored steadily inside and erased shots around the rim.
As Purdue’s No. 2 season standing in fewest opponent near-proximity shots implies, few have dared to challenge the Shire horse. And when teams did, successful conversions were infrequent. See the games against Utah State (37.9 2PT%) and Tennessee (36.1 2PT%).
Keatts is faced with quite the conundrum. If he decides to double Edey with Burns and Diarra, arc assassins Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Mason Gillis and Lance Jones are destined to capitalize. Since March 1, the Boilers are shooting 42.2% from three.
However, if he decides on mano-y-mano coverage against the 7-foot-4 Edey, the center could flirt with 40 points, a total he accomplished against the Volunteers.
Watching Burns may elicit happiness from even the most hardened individual, but Purdue is unlike any team NC State has encountered.
In a competitive contest, the pumpkin carriage arrives.