DALLAS - March is creeping closer, and Tuesday night feels big in Dallas.
SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC) welcomes No. 21 Louisville (19-6, 8-4 ACC) to Moody Coliseum for a 6 p.m. CT tip on ESPN2, and the Mustangs need a response after a gut-punch loss at Syracuse.
At 13-2 on their home floor, this group has made Moody one of the toughest stops in the ACC - and they’ll need that edge against a ranked Cardinals squad that already beat them once this season.
The first meeting on Jan. 31 ended in an 88-74 Louisville win after SMU controlled much of the first half. The difference? Depth and second-half shot-making. The Cardinals’ bench exploded, and SMU struggled late.
That can’t happen again. The Mustangs enter Tuesday ranked No. 36 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, squarely in the postseason conversation.
Their resume includes 10 Quad 1 opportunities and one of the better strength-of-schedule profiles in the conference. In short, this is another resume-defining opportunity.
Offensively, SMU has been elite. The Mustangs are averaging 86.2 points per game - second in the ACC and top 20 nationally - while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3. Ball movement has been a strength all year, with 17.6 assists per contest, again near the top of the league.
Boopie Miller continues to drive everything. The senior guard is averaging 18.9 points and 6.8 assists per game, ranking second in the ACC in assists and among the national leaders in playmaking efficiency.
He’s also shooting 42.4 percent from 3 and recently earned national player of the week honors earlier this season.
He’s not alone. Jaron Pierre Jr. (17.4 ppg) and B.J. Edwards (13.2 ppg) give SMU multiple creators, while Corey Washington (11.3 ppg) and Samet Yigitoglu (10.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) round out a starting group that can score from anywhere.
Yigitoglu anchors the interior with 1.4 blocks per game, and Edwards leads the ACC in steals at 2.4 per contest while contributing across the stat sheet.
The Mustangs have placed at least four players in double figures in 23 of 25 games - balance has been their identity.
But closing games must improve. In Saturday’s 79-78 loss at Syracuse, missed free throws and empty possessions in the final minute proved costly. Against a ranked Louisville team that can score in waves, execution late will be everything.
Moody Coliseum will be loud.
The opportunity is clear. A win over a top-25 ACC opponent could reignite SMU’s push toward the NCAA Tournament ... and remind the league that the Mustangs are very much in this race.