Michigan Basketball head coach Dusty May said back in July that Nimari Burnett was the team’s best shooter. We saw that on Thursday night, but it also proves this team can still get better:
Nimari Burnett was due for a breakout game.
The sixth-year senior has seen the ups and downs of the Michigan basketball program since arriving to Ann Arbor four years ago, and on Thursday night against Penn State, he not only put his personal skillset on display, but he showed the country how dangerous this Michigan team is where on any given night, anyone on the roster can break out.
Burnett arrived in Ann Arbor in 2023 under Juwan Howard, where he was asked to be the primary ball handler throughout the eight-win season that ultimately led to Howard’s dismissal. With possibilities of joining almost any Power-four program across the country, Dusty May convinced him to return to the Wolverines for the past two seasons, and he has turned into one of the best all-around guards in college basketball.
Burnett started all 37 games for Michigan in 2024-25, where he became Michigan’s most reliable three-point shooter, converting on a 40 percent clip, going 66-for-165. This season, that number has stayed the exact same, averaging 9.4 points per game, while shooting 40.4 percent from three.
However, Burnett has been more prone to slumps this season. With so many stars around him that can create their own shot, it was hard to find opportunities to get Burnett the ball over the last few contests, and when he did find an open look, he rarely converted. Since shooting 3-of-4 from deep against Indiana, Burnett made just one of his next nine 3-pointers. Until he faced the Nittany Lions.
Burnett erupted for 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting and seven 3-point baskets. Both his points and 3s set new career highs, leading Michigan to its 21st win of the season in only the start of February.
“We trust him,” May said after the win. “He’s like a coach on the floor. He had a couple of games that were below his standards, and he came in with a workman-like approach. Had a good week of practice, and man, he was great tonight.
“…I thought we set great screens for him. I thought our guards found him. You know, there’s always this chain reaction of you got this shot because of this cut and this screen and whatever. Sometimes, that’s just what happens in the course of the game. They make a mistake, and you’re the beneficiary of it.”
Shooting the lights out of the ball against Penn State isn’t an anomaly for Burnett. Coming into the season, with all of the star pickups May and his staff made over the offseason, Burnett’s name continued to pop-up.
When asked who the best shooter on the team was this past July, May’s answer happened to be Burnett. When asked who the best leader is on the team, May and the entire roster continually called out Burnett for his role. Obviously, scoring 31 points in a college basketball game is impressive, but staying the course and making everyone around you better on a daily basis is a much harder feat.
“The continuity (Burnett and Will Tschetter) bring, the character that they bring, the work capacity, the unselfishness where they’re trying to help the younger guys 24/7,” May told Maize n Brew in July. “They’re spending their time and energy trying to help guys who could potentially chip into their minutes because they want to win, and they want to be great teammates.
“So if we’re ever going to be at a championship level, and time will tell if we’re going to be at a championship level this season, a big part of it is going to be because of the leadership and continuity of those guys.”
Yaxel Ledeborg added: “(Burnett) has been giving 110 percent every single day, communicating the most, just bringing a lot of energy, bringing a lot of love as well, which is great. (He is) making it feel like we’re all together, like we’ve been here for 5 years. We all just got here, so it’s been great. Nimari and Will are my favorite on the team. Rod as well, but you know those are my favorite guys to talk to, look up to and just ask as many questions as I can.”
Burnett’s 31-point performance is just a microcosm of the work he has put in throughout the season to be a leader on a championship-caliber team. But now that it’s paying off, he will be looked to as a leader and a scorer the rest of the way to help the Wolverines accomplish their goals before his college career is up.
Category: General Sports
