SMU Basketball Takes Its ACC Ambition Overseas for Italy Tour

DALLAS - SMU basketball is taking its next big swing overseas.

Before Andy Enfield’s Mustangs face Oklahoma, DePaul, UNLV or the weekly punishment of an 18-game ACC schedule, they’ll begin shaping the 2026-27 team in Rome.

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SMU will play two exhibition games during an Italian tour designed to accomplish far more than produce a couple of preseason box scores.

For a roster rebuilt around one of the country’s highest-rated transfer classes, the timing couldn’t be better.

SMU’s incoming transfer group is ranked No. 9 nationally and third in the ACC by On3.

That talent brings excitement, but it also creates an obvious challenge ... Enfield must turn a collection of new pieces into a connected team before the real games arrive.

Extra practices, international competition and extended time together could accelerate that process.

The Mustangs aren’t heading into the season as an anonymous rebuilding project, either.

SMU reached the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time since 2017, knocked off two ranked opponents and returned to the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll after a nine-year absence.

They also produced three All-ACC selections while finishing among the nation’s top 30 in scoring, assists, field-goal percentage and three-point shooting.

That breakout raised the ceiling around the program, but it also changed the standard. Simply being competitive in the ACC won’t feel like enough anymore.

That’s what makes the Rome exhibitions valuable. Enfield can experiment with lineups, test roles and identify which combinations hold up when the Mustangs face unfamiliar opponents.

The games won’t count in the standings, but the information gathered could matter when SMU enters a demanding nonconference schedule and begins chasing another March bid.

The trip also offers more than basketball. Players will visit the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum.

The itinerary includes a cooking class on Isola Tiberina and a boat tour featuring the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Nerano. Some players will also earn academic credit tied to global perspectives, community engagement, ethics and cultural understanding.

It’s a rare blend of competition, education and team-building.

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SMU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly a decade proved Enfield has the program moving. The Italy tour is his first chance to discover whether the rebuilt Mustangs can handle the heavier expectations waiting back home.

Rome will provide the scenery. The real mission is building another tournament team.