Raleigh, N.C.

On Wednesday, a new update emerged from Tuesday evening’s exciting 83-76 victory for NC State over Wake Forest at PNC Arena.

The ACC issued a warning to DJ Horne, the top scorer and guard for the Wolfpack, for making a gesture towards a referee while Horne’s back was turned.

Horne was seen raising both of his middle fingers towards an official while at the foul line with 2.2 seconds remaining.

The ACC released a short statement stating that a reprimand was given after reviewing the game, citing Horne’s unsportsmanlike and inappropriate gesture at the end.

The organization did not have any additional remarks regarding the situation and it seems improbable that a suspension mandated by the conference will be enforced. During Tuesday evening’s game, referees Jeffrey Anderson, Trey Styons, and Jeb Hartness collectively issued six technical fouls and State coach Kevin Keatts was removed from the game in the first half.

The maneuver, which was filmed by ESPN and drew attention from numerous viewers tuning in from their homes, created buzz on social media and was a popular topic on morning sports talk shows on Wednesday.

After the game, Horne apologized on X for his actions, acknowledging that he had made a disrespectful gesture and stating that it does not reflect his true character.

The Wolfpack managed to secure a crucial win in the ACC and against a local opponent, despite being without their head coach for most of the game, being unsuccessful in all of their 3-point attempts, and trailing by 11 points in the second half.

Ben Middlebrooks and Mohamed Diarra of State both received one technical foul each due to on-court tension in the last two minutes. Hunter Sallis of Wake also received two technical fouls in the same sequence.

In the victory, Horne led the team with 21 points as State improved to 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference. State will face Virginia Tech at their home court on Saturday.

Source: wralsportsfan.com