B.J. Edwards is out for SMU’s NCAA Tournament opener, leaving the Mustangs without one of their most important two-way guards against Miami (Ohio).
SMU basketball is heading into its NCAA Tournament First Four matchup with a massive problem. B.J. Edwards won’t be available Wednesday night against Miami (OH).
For a team already trying to survive the chaos of Dayton, losing one of its most complete guards makes the challenge even steeper.
That’s the story hanging over this game.
Edwards has been one of the glue guys for the Mustangs all season, the kind of player who impacts winning even when he isn’t dominating the box score.
The numbers are still strong, though. He’s averaging 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, while also knocking down 37.2 percent from 3-point range. That’s a lot of production to pull out of a tournament lineup at the last minute.
And it’s not just offense. Edwards is a two-time All-ACC Defensive Team selection, which tells you exactly how much SMU loses on the other end of the floor.
He gives the Mustangs toughness at the point of attack, activity in passing lanes, and a player capable of doing a little bit of everything when games get tight. Those guys matter more in March than almost any other type.
The issue is his ankle. Edwards hasn’t played since Feb. 25, and he’s previously been seen with a boot on his right ankle.
That absence has already hurt SMU badly. Since he went down, the Mustangs have lost four of five games. That’s not a coincidence, it’s a reminder of how central he is to what this team does.
Now SMU has to find a way forward without him.
That means more pressure on the rest of the backcourt, more shot creation from the available guards, and probably a much cleaner game overall if the Mustangs want to keep dancing.
Against a Miami (OH) team that can score and push tempo, losing Edwards’ versatility is brutal timing.
This is the reality for Wednesday night ...SMU still has a chance, but there’s no sugarcoating it. Without Edwards, the margin for error just got a whole lot smaller.
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