SMU is all too familiar with the situation it’s in, but the Mustangs are seeking a different ending this time around.
Last year — despite sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble for most of the season — SMU stumbled to the finish and narrowly missed out on the 68-team field after an injury sidelined starting point guard Boopie Miller for five games.
One year later, the Mustangs, who have been in most bracket projections since January, have lost three of their last five games, and with them, starting guard BJ Edwards, who went down with an ankle injury on the road at Cal last week and is doubtful for Wednesday’s home game against No. 22 Miami.
The Mustangs are looking to avoid their first three-game skid of the season when the Hurricanes come to town for their last game at Moody Coliseum this season. They know a win is necessary for them to continue to hang on to their March Madness hopes, which have been slipping away.
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“These games matter a lot,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “We’ve been very good at home this year. Our upper classmen have to step up and play.”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has the Mustangs as a 10 seed facing 7 seed Kentucky in the first round of what would be SMU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years. The Mustangs have made the tournament just twice in the last 30 years and haven’t won a tournament game since 1988.
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This year’s team may be closer than ever — with a chance to do more than just participate. But for the Mustangs to punch their ticket, the last week of their regular season and the ACC tournament will be crucial.
“There’s a lot of basketball to be played,” Enfield said. “It’s always been a full season. You can’t punch your ticket in January or February. You have to punch your ticket in March. That’s why they call it March Madness. We have to play well here down the stretch.”
After back-to-back losses at Cal and Stanford, the Mustangs could greatly help their chances with a win over Miami, which ranks third in the conference.
“They have quick guys and some size on the perimeter,” Enfield said. “They’re very good. They share the ball, and two guys are extremely hard to guard 1-on-1 with [Tre] Donaldson and [Malik] Reneau, who’s first-team all-league.”
Then, they’ll have to face Florida State on the road in the regular-season finale, one of the two other teams tied with SMU for eighth in the ACC. Lunardi has projected eight ACC teams will make the tournament for weeks. The Mustangs need to emerge from that three-way tie with Cal and FSU to earn that eighth and final spot.
At least one win in next week’s ACC tournament might be necessary as well, depending on how SMU fares in its final two games this week. But Enfield said he’s not looking that far ahead yet. His team understands the weight of each game they play from here on out.
“It’s an opportunity for these young men to make a difference, to leave a legacy and to establish a standard at SMU of what our program’s all about and where we expect to be this year as well as in the future,” Enfield said.
With Edwards doubtful, even more weight rests on the shoulders of veterans like Miller and Jaron Pierre Jr. to pick up some slack and account for Edwards’ averages of 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
“We have to be prepared as a team to play, whoever is out on the court,” Enfield said. “Without him, we have to have Boopie and Jaron Pierre play efficiently.”
It’ll likely be a photo finish for the Mustangs and come down to a few plays to determine whether their near decade-long tournament drought finally ends.
A lot may be at stake, but SMU should focus on the small things, taking it one game at a time and hoping it can shoot better than 25-for-46 from the free throw line like it has in its last two games.
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