SMU basketball raised expectations under Andy Enfield with 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament trip, but now the Mustangs must prove it’s the new normal.
DALLAS - SMU basketball isn’t asking whether the bar has been raised. That part’s already done. The real question now is whether Andy Enfield and the Mustangs can keep clearing it.
That’s where things on the Hilltop get interesting.
SMU basketball enters the offseason with more pressure than panic. Yes, losing associate head coach Chris Capko to Ball State is a meaningful hit for Enfield’s staff.
Capko had been one of Enfield’s closest voices for years, helping shape game plans, in-game adjustments, and the overall operation.
Replacing that kind of trust inside a coaching office won’t be simple. But the bigger story around the program is this ... SMU has finally reestablished an expectation that matters.
The Mustangs won 24 games in Enfield’s first season, followed that with 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance, and now the standard has changed.
That’s what veteran forward Corey Washington made clear after SMU’s season ended. In his view, this group didn’t just make the tournament. It reset what SMU basketball should look like moving forward.
He’s right. For a program with ACC resources, Dallas recruiting access, and serious institutional backing, simply being respectable isn’t enough.
SMU should be chasing 20-win seasons on a regular basis and living in the NCAA Tournament picture most years. That doesn’t mean Final Four-or-bust, but it does mean this season can’t be treated like some random spike.
That’s why next year is so important for Enfield. The Mustangs still have intriguing pieces to develop, including Jermaine O’Neal Jr., Jaden Toombs, Chance Puryear, and incoming talent like Cam Lomax.
But roster continuity, staff decisions, and player growth now carry more weight because the excuses are fading. Enfield helped drag the program back into relevance. That matters. Now he has to prove SMU can stay there.
That’s the new reality on the Hilltop. The floor has risen. The pressure has too.
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