WASHINGTON–On Tuesday, DJ Horne was nowhere to be found. A day later, he was everywhere.
After missing NC State’s ACC Tournament opener with a hip injury, Horne got a second chance. He made the most of it, scoring 17 points to help lead the No. 10 Wolfpack past No.7 Syracuse, 83-65.
“With these being my last couple opportunities playing college basketball, I didn’t want to miss it,” Horne said.
Horne, a game-time decision both days, got the green light on Wednesday.
“At shootaround this morning, I tried to do a couple things full speed before we got here (to the arena). So, I kind of knew in my head I was going to give it a go,” he said.
“I watched him,” head coach Kevin Keatts said of the shootaround, “and I kind of stayed away from him. I just wanted to see what he would do.”
About two-and-a-half hours before tip, Keatts got official confirmation from the trainer, who texted and said Horne was good to go.
“I just simply said, ‘Okay’” Keatts said.
Horne took things slowly, however, playing seven scoreless minutes in the first and taking just two shots.
I just wanted the game to really come to me,” he said. “I didn’t want to go out there and force it. This was my first time going full speed against somebody else, and I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I got out there. I was just trying to get into a feel for the game.”
In the second half, he came out firing. He made his first shot 23 seconds after entering the game and knocked down three of his first four attempts after halftime, as State built on a three-point halftime edge.
At the 13:29 mark, Horne provided the dagger for NC State, getting three steals in 53 secons and turning them into eight Wolfpack points, punctuating the run with his first dunk of the season.
Horne’s personal run was part of an 18-2 Wolfpack hot streak that broke the game open and sent Syracuse home, likely on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble. State will now play No. 2 seed Duke on Thursday after entering the tournament with the job security of head coach Kevin Keatts reportedly on shaky ground.
“We’re fighting,” Keatts said. “We’re fighting. I’ve got guys in that locker room that really believe, and we’re talking at nighttime and every day about what it takes to win and the will to win, and I think our guys understand that part of it. It doesn’t get any easier. Every team in this league can beat you.”
Beating the Pack is significantly harder however, when Horne is on the floor and making plays.
“He was a secret weapon,” Keatts said. “Typically you don’t have your leading scorer as a secret weapon.”
