Michigan was seconds away from a calamitous loss, before Nimari Burnett saved the Wolverines. With three seconds left and the Wolverines trailing Rutgers 82-81, the senior guard spotted up 30 feet from the basket and lofted the buzzer-beater 3-pointer.
The game-winner came just one day after Michigan State stunned Maryland on a 3-pointer beyond half-court. The Spartans and Wolverines are tied atop the Big Ten standings, with MSU holding the tie-breaker.
Burnett was the furthest Wolverine from the in-bounder when the play started and was clearly not the primary option on the play. Roddy Gayle Jr. in-bounded the ball to Danny Wolf, but he had no driving lane to the basket, so he kicked it to Burnett. Burnett had cut from under the basket to the top of the key, nearly slipping, before positioning himself on the left-wing where he caught Wolf’s pass and hit the clutch shot.
Burnett scored a season-high 20 points to help the Wolverines avoid a loss that would have set them back in their quest for the top spot in the Big Ten conference. Center Vladislav Goldin led Michigan with 22 points.
Rutgers led 74-62 with 10:09 left, but then surrendered 10 unanswered points. Michigan recaptured an 81-80 lead when Tre Donaldson made a layup with 31 seconds left. Tyson Acuff made two free-throws to restore Rutgers’ lead before Burnett sent them packing at the buzzer.
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