DALLAS - Would B.J. Edwards’ presence have made a difference in SMU’s first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament?
All we really know is that Miami (Ohio) took down SMU 89-79 in a First Four game at University of Dayton Arena on Wednesday night.
Beyond that?
“I think there’s a thing called game readiness, and he just didn’t feel like he was quite game-ready,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said after the loss. “He wanted to be out there more than anybody. That’s kind of where it was, and he feels worse than we all do.''
Well, there is one more issue, as SMU is being accused of hoodwinking the NCAA committee by fudging the truth on Edwards’ availability.
SMU had released a statement late last week saying, “Edwards is expected to return to competition and be available for the NCAA Tournament.”
“We all thought that he would be back,” the coach said.
But instead, Edwards missed a sixth straight game … and yes, SMU missed his averages of 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and a conference-best 2.3 assists this season.
The Mustangs were 19-8 before he got hurt. They closed the year 1-6 without him.
Meanwhile, even though they ended up going 31-1, Miami had to play this play-in game … though because it was in Dayton, it was essentially a home game.
And as it happens, the Mustangs were 3-8 on the road this season.
So ...
Some are arguing that SMU made the tournament based on the assumption that Edwards would play. Writes Outkick: "Did SMU Mislead The NCAA? B.J. Edwards Not Playing Against Miami (OH) Raises Ethics Concerns.''
Said coach Enfield: “B.J. is important, but it’s a team sport, and a lot of other teams have injuries. We deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament …”
And now, for a variety of reasons, and amid some shadowy accusations, SMU deserves to be out of the NCAA Tournament.