Nimari Burnett previews Rutgers

Yeah, I mean, being around the game of basketball for a long time, kind of understand that there's always areas you can improve on. There is no perfect outcome or perfect performance. But at the same time, it was kind of a perfect performance and outcome out there when we were in Vegas. So it's just Taking those small things and areas to improve on and applying it so we can get ready for the rest of the season and know that it is still early.

And not only can other teams get better, but so can we. You were a part of this program when it was in a sort of needier— did you take any personal pleasure in having stuck around to rebuild it to what it is currently? Most definitely, man. Every championship we win, it's like those who stay become champions.

And I take that very, very seriously. Me and the guys, Will, um, Roddy Gayle, the guys that's even been here even longer, um, you know, Jace from last year, put in a ton of work into this program. And, um, you know, having the right mindset to come out there and playing to win every single night and to actually do this at a high level, um, when the stakes are the highest, when the competition is the highest, it's a great feeling.

Yeah, I think we handle that success by understanding what's at stake in the long run of things. Still got tons of things to play for, Big Ten championship, et cetera, national championship. And we feel like we have the group to do this. So, you know, although it feels good to have that early success throughout the season, we feel even more motivated to go out there and more confident to go out there and beat teams, you know, whoever we step out against.

I learned that this group really, really cares about winning. And I think that's the utmost concern for every single one on this team. And because there are times where you can get a lead and you can start like just, just playing basketball and not playing to win and just like trying to get up shots or not playing as hard on defense. And the guys, we were all motivated.

Let's get another stop. Let's get another bucket playing the right way. And playing the right way helps us when it comes to tournament time. And, you know, sometimes it's tough for shots on the road where we can't make shots.

How do we come together, get stops? How do we come together, get great offense? And I think we really learned a lot about ourselves in Vegas.