Is DJ Burns playing in TBT? Why NC State legend isn't the player on Kansas JHX for The Basketball Tournament

DJ Burns is a college basketball legend who took the country by storm as a March Madness star for North Carolina State.

There's also a guy named DJ Burns on the JHX roster for the upcoming TBT (The Basketball Tournament), a team mostly made up of Kansas Jayhawks alumni.

But it's actually not what it first appears.

Is DJ Burns playing in TBT?

DJ Burns is sort of playing in TBT.

There's a player on the JHX roster by that name, but he's not the former NC State star.

This DJ Burns played at Southern, Murray State and Youngstown State during his college career.

"Not to be confused with the former N.C. State forward, this DJ Burns has tallied 4.4 points and 3.4 boards per game in eight appearances for the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League," writes KUSports.com. "The 6-foot-7 forward from New Orleans played at Southern, Murray State and Youngstown State over five seasons of college basketball, starting all 98 games over his final three years, and averaging 13.1 points and 11.0 rebounds as a fifth-year senior for the Penguins."

On a team with a bunch of former Kansas stars, this Burns may not see a ton of playing time.

Interestingly, the former NC State big guy Burns did play in 2025 TBT, so there's always a chance he pops up on a roster for this tournament.

He's just not on the JHX roster. That's a different DJ Burns.

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