The Mustangs couldn’t find the eye of the storm as the Miami Hurricanes came to town on Wednesday, March 4, and toppled SMU 77-69. The game gives the ‘Stangs their third straight loss on senior night heading into March Madness.
With the loss of senior guard BJ Edwards, SMU relied on Jaron Pierre Jr. and Boopie Miller to carry the workload. The duo played all 40 minutes, combining for over half the team’s total points. Pierre Jr. went for 27 points while Miller complemented him with a 21-point performance of his own. Samet Yiğitoğlu had a respectable 12 points and seven rebounds, but that was the extent of the Mustangs offense.
When talking about the absence of Edwards, head coach Andy Enfield said his team was still adjusting.
“We lost BJ, so we’re trying to learn how to play without him right now,” Enfield said. “We’re trying to play without a guy that averages 14 points, over five assists, over six rebounds, almost three steals a game.”
Offense was little to none in the first half from both teams. Miami controlled the tip, getting two quick baskets to jump to a 4-0 lead. SMU would respond with a Corey Washington putback to put the Mustangs on the board. However, that would be the last SMU heard from the senior on senior night, as it was Washington’s only basket. The defense of the Mustangs was strong inside the arc, but the ‘Canes were 6-8 from deep, highlighted by a Noam Dovrat three to close the half. Pierre Jr. didn’t find the bottom of the net outside of two free throws, which would be the only points he would score in the first half.
When asked if he said anything to Pierre Jr., Enfield said he left the Jax State transfer alone.
“Really didn’t say anything to him,” Enfield said. “He’s a veteran. He knows he has to play better. He didn’t play well in the first half.”
Miami dominated the first half, squashing any momentum the Mustangs would gain with just one shot. The crowd in Moody was as loud as ever and played as a factor at some points of the game, but was unable to startle Miami.
The Mustangs would come out of the intermission sluggish, while the Hurricanes came out hot off the momentum of the Dovrat three before the break. Miami forced multiple SMU turnovers on the way to a 7-0 run to start the half. A shoe change at halftime would be all Pierre Jr. needed to turn it on as he broke the run with a huge fastbreak dunk, bringing the crowd back into the game. However, with back-and-forth scoring possessions from both teams, Miami was able to expand its lead to the point that the Mustangs couldn’t catch up, leading to a crucial home loss on senior night.
Jermaine O’Neal Jr. made his first career start as a freshman against Miami. When asked about getting more minutes in Edwards’ absence, O’Neal simply said,
“[It] makes you have to play even harder,” O’Neal said, “Especially because I know the team needs me more than ever now.”
SMU remains on the positive side of the bubble for this year’s tournament as a 10-11 seed, but a strong performance in the ACC tournament would help the team’s stock. SMU travels down to Tallahassee to look for the season sweep of the Florida State Seminoles to close the regular season Saturday, March 7, on the ACC Network.
