With SMU’s acceptance of the Big East Conference invitation, the Big D community is sure to see some change, especially on the basketball court.
Not only is the Big East a Bowl Championship Series Automatic Qualifier conference, but it’s also the leading NCAA Division I basketball conference in the nation.
Joining teams on the court such as DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova will benefit SMU’s basketball program tremendously.
Donors, game day attendance, coast-to-coast recruitment, media and the branding of SMU are several areas of SMU that are sure to grow with the joining of the Big East conference.
After the 2011 expansion of the Big East the conference now has the largest footprint of any other football conference in the nation.
Crossing over eight state boarders and five regions from coast-to-coast, the new conference will allow SMU to have a larger recruiting base for players and coaches.to have a larger recruiting base for players and coaches.
Sixteen teams from the conference have made Final Four appearances and the BIG EAST holds six NCAA Championships, more than any other conference.
While many worry that the Mustang program is not at the level needed to compete with other leading programs, proof that their doubts should be cast aside is in the records.
During the 2010 to 2011 season, SMU finished with 20 wins and competed in a postseason tournament for the first time in a decade. With the start of the 2011 to 2012 season, the recent recruits have already proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
True freshman Jalen Jones is averaging eight points a game early on in the season.
The guard has also been a leading scorer for the Mustangs along with fellow freshman Ryan Manuel.
To bring in the New Year strong, Manuel rallied 13 points off the bench to lead SMU to victory against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 31.
With young talent and only more to come, SMU is pushing forward to becoming a top school in academics and athletics.
How will the Big East have negative impacts on SMU? Only time will tell.
Until then, it will be interesting to see the basketball program expand to keep up with the leading college teams in the nation.
