North Carolina State Men And Women Are Dance Partners To 2 Final Fours

DALLAS - The North Carolina State men are going to the real Dance, now, and they're bringing a partner and a DJ.

Junior power forward DJ Burns Jr. started dancing early Sunday during the second half at timeouts around scoring 29 points, often on soft, sweet, yet powerful moves inside that Duke never could stop. And he and N.C. State stepped all over the No. 4 seed Blue Devils, the once mighty Blue Blood, 76-64, Sunday afternoon at the American Airlines Center.

READ: It Feels Like 1983 All Over Again At North Carolina State 

It was as if the behemoth 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns was wearing slippers - Cinderella slippers, that is. And the No. 11 seed Wolfpack will ride those to Glendale, Arizona, this week for their first Final Four since their last national championship in 1983. 

Earlier in the afternoon, the No. 3 seed N.C. State women's team beat No. 1 seed Texas, 76-66, in Portland, Oregon, to reach the women's Final Four in Cleveland at 30-6.

North Carolina State's Michael O'Connell (No. 12) and DJ Burns Jr. celebrate as they continued to dominate Duke on Sunday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas and won to reach the Final Four. (Getty Images)

"That's really cool that the women are going, too," North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts said.

"I love what the women's team is doing," Burns said. "Man, they've been doing their thing all year. But man, we're all close."

It's clearly a red letter day for the Wolfpack, according to former N.C. State associate athletic director Fred Demarest.  

The N.C. State men, unlike the women as Burns said, just started playing championship basketball a few weeks ago after finishing the regular season at 17-14 and 9-11 for eighth in Atlantic Coast Conference after four straight losses. The Wolfpack won five games in five days in the ACC Tournament for the title and automatic NCAA Tournament bid, and has been grooving to the music ever since.

READ: Wolfpack Plays Loose Because Of Rap And Gospel Music

N.C. State then won four straight in the NCAA Tournament with two to go. 

North Carolina State Just Flipped A Switch

"I'm very thankful to be here," said Burns, who hit 13 of 19 shots. "There's just been a total switch in our commitment. Nobody is late to things. Nobody being a problem on the court. Everyone came together. I don't know what it is."

But he'll take it.

"You know it," he said. 

N.C. State will meet No. 1 seed Purdue (33-4) on Saturday (6:09 p.m., TBS). The Boilermakers outlasted an inspired No. 2 seed Tennessee for a 72-66 win earlier Sunday in Detroit as 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey scored 40 points with 16 rebounds.

The other national semi on Saturday will pit No. 1 seed and defending national champion Connecticut (35-3) vs. No. 4 seed and Final Four first timer Alabama (25-11) on Saturday night (8:49 p.m., TBS). UConn beat No. 3 seed Illinois, 77-52, Saturday afternoon. Alabama ousted No. 6 Clemson, 89-82, late Saturday night.

"Final Four, baby," Burns said.

Get ready for a Zach Edey (7-4, 300) vs. D.J. Burns (6-9, 275) heavyweight match.

"I don't know how you guard him," Keatts said of Burns. "And I hope nobody figures that out."