PITTSBURGH — Graduate forward DJ Burns was supposed to be the star that was born in March. Instead, it was his backup, junior forward Ben Middlebrooks, who made his name known in Pittsburgh.

With Burns in foul trouble for most of the game, Middlebrooks had the best game of his career with a career-high 21 points. His one shining moment lifted No. 11 seed NC State men’s basketball (23-14) to an 80-67 upset victory over No. 6 seed Texas Tech (23-11). It’s the Wolfpack’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2015 and head coach Kevin Keatts’ first ever in the Big Dance. 

The Clemson transfer imposed his will on the Red Raiders’ big men, drawing contact on almost every drive to the rim and resulting in a 9-10 performance from the free throw line. Middlebrooks has been up-and-down for the Pack at the line all season, including airballing a free throw earlier in the year, but he calmly knocked down his free throws in his first taste of March Madness.

While Middlebrooks carried the load when Burns was on the bench, the Pack’s starting center still dealt plenty of damage to the Red Raiders. Burns made Texas Tech pay throughout the contest with his array of spins and back-downs, proving to be a force in the paint on the way to 16 points on 7-11 shooting. 

“That gives me life, man,” Burns said. “When you see someone at the same position as you who is giving you that, it makes you better. I can’t go out there and not play my best when [Middlebrooks is] out there giving it his all. That would be letting him and my team down.”

Burns wasn’t the only DJ to score 16 points — graduate guard DJ Horne also posted 16 points and was a threat from beyond the arc, drilling a trio of 3s. The Arizona State transfer did more than just hunt buckets. With six boards, five assists and a steal, Horne ensured that Texas Tech fans will have nightmares about him for months.

Rounding out the double-digit scorers was junior forward Mohamed Diarra. After an outstanding week at the ACC Tournament, Diarra made the Red Raiders his next prey. Finishing put-backs and tossing defenders in the spin cycle, the French man had no issue racking up 17 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting. 

Diarra also made his share of splash plays, which included a catch-and-shoot 3 and a nasty transition dunk. Additionally, he reeled in a team-high 12 rebounds.

NC State’s trio of bigs proved to be the X-factor that allowed the Pack to dominate the paint. The red-and-white outscored Texas Tech 42-20 in the paint, leaving no doubt which side was the tougher, more physical bunch. Diarra and Middlebrooks each added a pair of blocks, denying the Red Raiders easy opportunities.

“We thought we had an advantage throwing the ball inside, and it worked out,” Keatts said. “We got 49 points from our post play, and that was because we were very aggressive.”

The Wolfpack’s backcourt also didn’t go unnoticed. While graduate guards Casey Morsell and Michael O’Connell didn’t rack up buckets, they made timely plays all night. 

Morsell turned into a defensive monster with four steals and a block. Meanwhile, O’Connell set up his opponents throughout the night, tallying six assists. Paired with Horne, the Pack’s guards sent the Red Raiders running back to Lubbock, Texas. 

“I gotta give a lot of credit to the guards,” Middlebrooks said. “You got DJ Horne drawing attention to himself, drawing traps and things like that, making it easy for pick and rolls. Michael O’Connell, the vision he has being able to find me on some of those things for easy layups. I mean, they really just make it easy, so I gotta give a lot of that to them.”

NC State once again got another full team effort like it did in the ACC Tournament allowing it to manage the fatigue of playing five games in five days. Despite now playing six games in 10 days, Middlebrooks said the Wolfpack feels no worse for wear.

“We heard a lot about fatigue through our ACC tournament run,” Middlebrooks said. “No matter how many times people keep saying it, it seems like we keep getting stronger with every game we play.”

Next, NC State will take on No. 14 seed Oakland in the Round of 32 — a surprise opponent after the Grizzlies’ upset over No. 3 seed Kentucky. Tipoff at PPG Paints Arena is set for 7:10 p.m. and will be available on either TBS or TruTV. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16.