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Nimari Burnett, transferring Alabama guard, says Brandon Miller scrutiny didn’t hurt Alabama in NCAA Tournament
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Nimari Burnett is exploring his options in the NCAA transfer portal following a year at Alabama that saw the Crimson Tide win the SEC regular-season and tournament titles.
But the Tide, who earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, failed to advance past the Sweet 16, falling in that round to the San Diego State Aztecs.
Did Brandon Miller’s name being mentioned as a cooperating witness in a murder investigation lead to the Tide getting distracted during March Madness. Burnett said he didn’t think that was the issue:
Burnett asked if Miles/Miller scrutiny was distraction to Alabama: "I don't think that was the case. We had a great season all season. We got guys that were mentally tough and handled it great. … We didn't finish strong, and I don't believe it had to do with that." https://t.co/plwd8WWxKG
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) March 29, 2023
“I don’t think that was the case,” Burnett said. “We had a great season all season. We got guys that were mentally tough and handled it great. … We didn’t finish strong, and I don’t believe it had to do with that.”
Burnett could be right — Alabama simply ran into a very strong and experienced San Diego State team. The Aztecs are now in the Final Four and will play No. 9 seed FAU for a chance to advance to the national championship game.
Meanwhile, for Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide, it’s back to the drawing board ahead of the 2023-24 season. We’ll see if Burnett decides to return to Tuscaloosa and withdraw his name from the portal, or if he ends up playing somewhere else next season.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
