DJ's Diet Burns: N.C. State Star Is Another Charles 'Goo Goo Cluster' Barkley

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It remains a sweet and chocolaty memory.

Minutes before Auburn was to play Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville in 1984, Auburn center Charles Barkley lounged largely in the stands waiting for the previous game to end, so he could warm up.

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Charles Barkley in his salad, or Goo Goo Cluster, days at Auburn, where he dominated from 1981-84 like North Carolina State's DJ Burns Jr. now. (Getty Images)

And he was unwrapping a Goo Goo Cluster - the candy of Nashville born there in 1921. Then all 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds of the later-to-be Sir Charles scored 12 points with five rebounds in a 59-58 win and went on to take tournament MVP as Auburn reached the finals before losing to Kentucky.

North Carolina State's DJ Burns Jr. Vs. Purdue's Zach Edey

There is another slimmer version of Barkley set to play tonight in the NCAA Men's Final Four in Glendale, Arizona - 6-9, 275-pound North Carolina State center DJ Burns Jr. Though, Burns has said he is actually closer to 300, which would qualify him for Barkley's college nickname - "The Round Mound of Rebound."

The No. 11 seed Wolfpack (26-14) and No. 1 seed Purdue (33-4) meet in tonight's first Final Four game (6 p.m., TBS). No. 1 seed and defending champion Connecticut (35-3) plays No. 4 seed Alabama (25-11) in the nightcap (8:30 p.m., TBS).

North Carolina State center DJ Burns (right) uses his girth to front Duke center Kyle Filipowski in the Wolfpack's win over Duke Sunday in the NCAA South Regional title game at American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Getty Images)

And Burns may need some extra calories against Purdue 7-4, 300-pound center Zach Edey, who was named the Associated Press national player of the year for the second consecutive year on Friday.

RELATED: Zach Edey Shades Of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Edey, a senior from Toronto, leads the nation in scoring with 25 points a game and is No. 2 in rebounding at 12.2 and in double-doubles with 28. Burns is averaging 13 points and four rebounds, but he has been hot lately. Burns scored 29 in the win over No. 4 seed Duke Sunday to reach the Final Four and had 24 points with 11 rebounds in the second round win over No. 14 seed Oakland. Burns is quicker than Edey and often gets the ball farther from the basket than Edey and steamrolls on in.

"When DJ gets going, it makes it easier for us guards on the perimeter," N.C. State guard Casey Morsell said. "He draws so much attention. All we can do is stay ready. Stay ready to shoot. Stay ready to make a play. "When he's going, we're very hard to stop."

RELATED: DJ Burns Is An Every Man

Burns, a senior from Rock Hill, South Carolina, via Tennessee and Winthrop, eats healthier than Barkley back in the day. In fact, he turned down an ice cream sundae after he and the Wolfpack beat No. 6 seed Texas Tech in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21.

Say what you want about his physique, Burns can move. During timeouts in the Duke win, Burns danced like John Travolta. He tries to lay off the bad stuff, but one of his favorite spots near campus in Raleigh is the Cookout.

"I get the grilled chicken sandwich, and I get the chicken nuggets," he said early this season. "And then, I normally would get the fries, but lately I probably wouldn't even go past that."

Whatever he eats or how much he actually weighs, it's working. Burns can be seen skipping like a kid on to the court before, during and after games. Watch him in the lane, and his feet are clearly nimble.

North Carolina State center DJ Burns Jr. shows a quick move at a Final Four practice Fiday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Getty Images)

""DJ Burns would think he was a tight end," North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts said. " You can't say left tackle. That's not right."

RELATED: It's 1983 With Jim Valvano All Over Again For North Carolina State

Burns plans to take a big bite out of Edey's game tonight.

"Yeah, for sure," Burns said Thursday. "He hasn't had anybody put scoring pressure on him as much as I will. Well, maybe he did, but not under a stage like this."

Edey, on the other hand, didn't bite. 

"He has earned respect," Edey said Thursday. "People kind of treat him like he's a sideshow or something. He's a really good basketball player."

Bon appétit.

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Guilbeau joined OutKick as an SEC columnist in September of 2021 after covering LSU and the Saints for 17 years at USA TODAY Louisiana. He has been a national columnist/feature writer since the summer of 2022, covering college football, basketball and baseball with some NFL, NBA, MLB, TV and Movies and general assignment, including hot dog taste tests. A New Orleans native and Mizzou graduate, he has consistently won Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) awards since covering Alabama and Auburn at the Mobile Press-Register (1993-98) and LSU and the Saints at the Baton Rouge Advocate (1998-2004). In 2021, Guilbeau won an FWAA 1st for a game feature, placed in APSE Beat Writing, Breaking News and Explanatory, and won Beat Writer of the Year from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). He won an FWAA columnist 1st in 2017 and was FWAA's top overall winner in 2016 with 1st in game story, 2nd in columns, and features honorable mention. Guilbeau completed a book in 2022 about LSU's five-time national champion coach - "Everything Matters In Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story" - that is available at www.acadianhouse.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble outlets. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Michelle Millhollon of Thibodaux who previously covered politics for the Baton Rouge Advocate and is a communications director.