Michigan Guard Nimari Burnett Previews TCU Game

Michigan men’s basketball (1-1) is set to host TCU (3-0) tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. Michigan graduate guard Nimari Burnett began his collegiate career at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders and TCU are familiar foes, as both reside in the Big 12 conference. Burnett spoke to the media on Thursday and offered some insight into what the Horned Frogs might look like on the hardwood.

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Nimari Burnett Previews TCU Game

“I remember how physical they were,” Burnett recalled. “And I remember them playing a side-defense type of style, something that we played when I was at Texas Tech. They try to force it baseline, and force the opposing team into what they want defensively. It’s about doing what we want offensively and defensively, playing our style of basketball, and I think we’ll be great.

Some Michigan basketball fans might still have a bad taste in their mouth from the eight-win season a year ago. Burnett is one of the few players left from the 2023-24 roster, and he said Sunday felt nothing like the losses they took last season. 

“It definitely felt different,” Burnett said. “Afterwards it makes you think, ‘Do we have the same issues that we had last year?’, (but) no, it’s completely different. There are multiple ways to lose games. A lot of (the loss against Wake Forest) was on the rebound battle and not taking care of the ball. It wasn’t a lack of energy or effort on the defensive end or anything like that. I think we clean those areas up and clean up those margins and we’ll be good going forward in the season.”

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