The SMU men’s basketball players may rub head coach Matt Doherty’s shaved dome for luck tonight before their first home game of the 2008-2009 season.

The Mustangs (0-1) face the task of playing three teams-including a 2008 NCAA Tournament participant and a 2008 National Invitational Tournament team-in three consecutive nights in the SMU Tip-Off Classic at Moody Coliseum.

SMU faces the Houston Baptist Huskies at 7:30 p.m. tonight, the Alabama State Hornets at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and the Illinois State Redbirds at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Senior Bamba Fall, junior Mouhammad Faye and sophomore Alex Malone shaved Doherty’s head Friday in front of several dozen Mustangs fans at the flagpole. Doherty said that his hair hadn’t been cut short since a crew cut in the fourth grade.

While Doherty was getting the trim, he turned to assistant coach Steve Lutz, who also has a buzzed haircut, and remarked, “My hair looks like yours Lutz.”

Lutz responded, “Yeah, but my head isn’t as big as yours.”

Usually players and coaches let their hair grow for good luck, but SMU hopes Doherty’s buzz cut will provide the same kind of luck in the Tip-Off Classic.

The Mustangs are looking to forget their 0-2 record in the tournament last year, which included a 64-54 loss to Alabama State. The Hornets went on to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. SMU also fell to Southern University, 75-61.

SMU defeated Illinois State 57-55 on a last-second tip-in in 2006, which was the last meeting between the teams. It was Doherty’s first game as a head coach and was part of a 10-1 start to the season.

Illinois State was ranked in the top 25 last season before narrowly missing the NCAA Field of 65. The Redbirds were defeated in the second round of the NIT.

The Mustangs knocked off Houston Baptist 90-79 last year at Moody Coliseum and are 4-0 against the Huskies all-time. They have won 11 of their last 12 home openers.

“We’re just hoping to win (Friday), then try to win the rest of the way,” said sophomore guard Ryan Harp.

“I like our depth,” said Doherty. “We have 10 guys that can play, and that hopefully is something that I do a good job of coaching this weekend.”

The Mustangs dropped their season opener against the University of South Florida last Friday, despite a combined 23 points from point guards Paul McCoy and Derek Williams, who are new to the program this year. They led the team in minutes (71 combined) and hit three 3-pointers.

“I think we played overall with pretty good poise,” said Doherty. “They played pretty hard, and it was a great experience for our guys.”

“Derrick, Paul and Mike (Walker) all are good leaders. As a team, we’re getting better and better,” said Harp.

Williams is a junior college transfer from Western Texas College, and McCoy is a freshman from Portland, Ore.

The duo gives the Mustangs depth at guard, which they lacked last year. They are joined by sophomores Walker and Harp, who combined to start 35 games last year.

Harp, only 6-foot-4, led the team with seven rebounds against South Florida, and Walker picked up a pair of early fouls that limited his playing time. Sophomores Robert Nayakundi and Malone provide the Mustangs with viable 3-point shooting options off the bench.

SMU is led inside by Fall, who is second on SMU’s career blocks list. He added two to his total against South Florida, but he managed only four points and six rebounds.

Freshman Frank Otis, only 6-foot-6, started at power forward in the season opener, but didn’t manage any points. Papa Dia, who started as a freshman last season, came off the bench to pick up five points and four rebounds. It is unclear whether he or Otis will start this weekend.

Notes: The Mustangs hope not to fall behind this weekend. But if they do, fans should stick around until the end.

In Doherty’s three seasons as head coach, SMU has come back to win from 13-point deficits four times. It happened three times last year in victories over the University of Central Florida, the University of Rice and the University of Texas at El Paso.

The Mustangs were also 2-0 in overtime games in 2008, winning both those games at home. They are 3-0 in Doherty’s tenure.