SMU basketball saw its NCAA Tournament run end as poor 3-point shooting and shaky defense let Miami (OH) control the game from deep and never let up.
SMU basketball’s March Madness run ended with a frustrating 89-79 loss to Miami (OH), and the biggest reasons were impossible to miss ... bad 3-point shooting and even worse perimeter defense.
In an NCAA Tournament game where every possession matters, the Mustangs never found enough answers on either end.
They clanked early looks, let Miami get comfortable from outside, and spent the rest of the night chasing a game that kept slipping farther away.
That’s the brutal part for Andy Enfield’s team. SMU actually did plenty of good things inside. The Mustangs poured in 46 points in the paint, shot 47.7 percent from the field, and got a monster effort from Jaden Toombs, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Jaron Pierre Jr. added 18 points, while Boopie Miller scored 15 and dished out five assists. That kind of production should’ve been enough to keep SMU alive.
But March cares about matchups, momentum, and whether you can guard the arc. SMU couldn’t.
Miami buried 16 of 41 shots from 3-point range, with Eian Elmer torching the Mustangs for 23 points and six made 3s.
Brant Byers added 19 points and four triples, and Luke Skaljac chipped in 17 more as Miami’s ball movement kept creating clean looks.
SMU, meanwhile, opened the game ice-cold from long range and finished just 5 of 21 from deep. That’s not nearly enough when the other team is bombing away and hitting with confidence. The absence of B.J. Edwards, out for a sixth straight game, also mattered. His defense, playmaking, and steals were badly missed.
The Mustangs had the size edge. They had enough scoring. What they didn’t have was control of the perimeter, and that’s why their season is over.
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