Thursday night's game doesn't make a whole lot of sense. This season hasn't made a whole lot of

sense. And this trajectory for Namari Burnett doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense, but boy,

has it been a special, special run? Because as you think back one year ago, almost to the day,

February 29th, Namari scored five points on one of eight shooting, and yet another game

where he played 30-plus minutes.

He committed five turnovers and what was a 30-point loss to a team in Rutgers on the road in Piscataway

that Michigan finished closer to than any other in the Big Ten.

Other than Maryland, both Rutgers and Maryland were 7 and 13.

Michigan was four games back of everybody.

Coming out of that year, an awful one for Michigan men's basketball.

One of the few positives was just that Namari Burnett, who had battled through so much in his first three seasons of collegiate basketball, posted a complete season.

He started every game for Michigan.

The results weren't great.

His role was certainly not fair to him, but he got through it.

He showed to himself and to college basketball that he could finish a season.

Then, like anybody in a circumstance, like Namari was in, surveyed his options. He leaned on his faith.

He referenced a few connections he had with the likes of incoming Michigan assistance,

Justin Joyner and Mike Boynton Jr. And he also looked at some observations of the new head coach

of the program, Dusty May. And ultimately, Namari Bennett decided to return for a second season in his third collegiate

stop.

He bonded in the offseason with Dusty May, who, as Namari described over the summer,

is like him in that they do nothing but basketball.

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