ACC reprimands NC State guard DJ Horne after double-bird vs. Wake Forest

The ACC has issued a formal reprimand to NC State‘s DJ Horne after he flipped the double birds on camera during a game against Wake Forest on Tuesday night.

The league office issued the reprimand after an official review of the game, noting the reprimand is “based on Horne’s involvement in an unsportsmanlike and inappropriate gesture at the end of the game.”

The ACC offered no further comment on the matter.

During a stoppage with 2.2 seconds left and the Wolfpack leading the Demon Deacons, 81-76, after trailing for most of the night, Horne flipped up both middle fingers toward someone. While it wasn’t toward the ACC Network cameras, they caught his double bird on the broadcast.

Shortly before, the game had peaked in intensity when a confrontation between both teams on the court after an and-1 play resulted in some late game technicals and ejections.

NC State held on to win, 83-76. DJ Horne starred for the home team, pouring in a team-high 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also added three rebounds, and a pair of assists and steals. Horne was also instrumental in NC State coming back late in the game to win. With the win, the Wolfpack move to 5-1 in the ACC and 13-4 on the season so far.

But the abiding memory of the game might be his double bird caught on camera. Mostly harmless, but certainly not one to be lived down any time soon.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts was ejected late in the 1st half

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts was already heated with the officials for much of the first half of a home game vs. Wake Forest on Tuesday night. Then when a call was apparently missed that would’ve sent the Wolfpack to the free throw line, Keatts blew his top.

With play still going, he ran on to the court in anger, protesting the no-call and getting hit with a technical foul for the outburst. As referee Jeffrey Anderson went to the scorers table to explain the technical, Keatts kept jawing.

And Anderson had a quick trigger for the second technical on Keatts, resulting in his ejection.

His ire was drawn when guard Dennis Parker Jr. was met at the rim by Demon Deacons forward Matthew Marsh. The officials didn’t call a foul for contact that the head coach felt was a foul.

And even after he was ejected, Keatts kept at Anderson, getting his money’s worth before marshaling his team in the huddle one last time before walking off.

Keatts was ejected with 3:32 remaining in the first half and Wake Forest leading 35-29. The score at halftime was 45-35, Demon Deacons.

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this report.