Michigan vs. TCU: Nimari Burnett weighs in on showdown with 'physical' Horned Frogs
ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines play another measuring stick non-conference game on Friday night at Crisler with the TCU Horned Frogs in town with both teams sporting a brand new look from last season.
We know that Michigan’s roster features a trip of guys who were here in 2023-24 in forwards Jace Howard and Will Tschetter and guard Nimari Burnett. TCU can top that with only one player – center Ernest Udeh Jr. – back from last season’s squad.
Friday’s game will also feature the return of former point guard Frankie Collins to Crisler Center, and his second meeting with his former team after playing for Arizona State last season. When there’s that amount of roster turnover, you have to do much more than just put on the TCU film.
The Horned Frogs are 3-0 under head coach Jamie Dixon, who has won 20-plus games in all but two seasons since taking over in 2017. Michigan is watching how those teams have played in addition to where some of the other guys played last season.
“We definitely have to scout from other places that they’ve been to prior,” Burnett said on Thursday afternoon. “And it’s kind of the landscape with college basketball now. We have only three guys returning from this year as far as scholarship guys. It’s something that we all look forward to. Especially playing guys who played here before.
“Film is everywhere now. So we find it and we lock into it and you know, we’re fortunate to have film from the last few games, exhibition games as well.”
Burnett spent the first season of his college career at Texas Tech and played TCU in the Big-12, and recalls what he saw in a 69-49 win for his Red Raiders.
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“I remember how physical they were,” Burnett said. “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 us or the opposing team into what they want defensively. So it’s about doing what we want defensively or offensively and defensively playing our style of basketball.”
Michigan is coming off a 72-70 loss at Wake Forest on Sunday, but it was a late-game loss that felt different than what Burnett and the Wolverines went through last season in their 8-24 campaign. A loss stings nonetheless and felt all too familiar, but he’s confident they are in good hands moving forward.
“It definitely felt different,” Burnett said. “Afterwards it makes you think of like, ‘So we have the same issues that we had last year?’ or whatever the case may be. And no, it’s completely different.
There are multiple ways to lose games and a lot of that was on the rebound battle. And not taking care of the ball. It wasn’t a lack of energy or effort on defensive end or anything like that. So I think we clean those areas up and clean up those margins and we’ll be good going forward in the season.”
Michigan and TCU’s showdown on Friday night tips off at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast via Fox Sports 1.
