NCAA Basketball: 8 teams that should target Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett

Illinois Fighting Illini

Burnett is originally from the Chicago area, so it makes complete sense that Illinois would be a potential fit. It also helps that star guard, Ayo Dosunmu is all but assured to be off to the NBA Draft next offseason. Freshman guards Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo have been solid and sharpshooter 2021 commit Luke Goode will be arriving soon.

Still, there’s room for the 6’4 Burnett to be part of any potential Illini rotation. They’ve been playing with four-guard lineups for most of the season and could be adding another available transfer in West Virginia big man Oscar Tshiebwe. With the team likely losing its two best players, expect Illinois to be active in the transfer portal, especially with local players.

Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals have been able to survive all of the injuries on their roster thanks to the stellar play of starting guards Carlik Jones and David Johnson. In particular, the sophomore Johnson has been a breakout star, averaging 14.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg. There’s a strong chance that both will be gone after this season, leaving top JUCO commit El Ellis from the 2021 class coming in.

What makes this a good fit is that guards for Louisville don’t have to shoot well to win. They just have to be solid all-around and score in a variety of ways. Burnett has the ability to do that and would have a fair amount of playing time for this ACC program.