SMU guard Derek Williams goes up for a rebound last Saturday against Tulane at Moody Colliseum. The Mustangs will be playing in Moody Colliseum Saturday night at 7 p.m. (Idris Mustafa)
Wednesday was one of the busiest sports days of the month.
Two top-10 basketball teams were upset at home, the Australian Open tennis tournament was in full swing and Romo-gate was building strength across town.
So why was the SMU-Marshall men’s basketball game featured on the SportsCenter Top 10? Marshall’s Markel Humphrey hit the shot that will forever make him a celebrity in Hunnington, W.Va.-a 75-foot shot that gave the Thundering Herd a 53-50 victory.
SMU (6-10, 1-3 Conference USA) now has to bounce back and compete against the East Carolina Pirates (9-8, 1-3) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Moody Coliseum.
“That’s my challenge,” said head coach Matt Doherty. “That’s why I’m the coach and the leader. I told them last night in the locker room that I was proud of them. Emotionally, they got treated like they won, and we can’t let it impact us next game.”
Doherty said he was proud of his team’s effort, especially sophomore Robert Nyakundi, who led the team with seven rebounds off the bench. Doherty also praised the efforts of Mike Walker and Justin Haynes.
“You’ve got to be focused, play with extra effort and extra concentration [on the road],” said Doherty. “It’s a different environment, but you’ve got to be able to overcome that. Even though we lost the game, I thought we did a good job.”
SMU, which has faced two consecutive slow-paced opponents (Tulane and Marshall), will face a revved-up East Carolina offense that averages 74.2 points a game. The Mustangs’ defense only gives up 64 points.
The Pirates are led by the senior guard duo of Sam Hinnant and James Logan, which combines to average 28 points. East Carolina shoots 35 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, led by Logan’s 44 percent average.
“This is a tough match up,” said Doherty. “They’re a little more free-wheeling and like to push the ball. We’ll have to see what the best way to play them is without losing our integrity about what we’re doing offensively and defensively.”
The Mustangs are still struggling to find a true offensive identity. Opponents seem to have keyed in on big men Bamba Fall and Papa Dia, and guard play has been spotty at times.
Newcomers Paul McCoy and Derek Williams lead the team in scoring, but have also struggled with turnovers. The addition of Mouhammad Faye, a transfer who became eligible in December, has given the Mustangs another decent 3-point shooting threat, in addition to Nyakundi, Walker, McCoy and Williams.
After facing the Pirates, SMU hits the road to face two of the stingiest teams in the conference-Central Florida and Tulsa. The Mustangs return home Feb. 4 to face the Memphis Tigers, who are ranked No. 22 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
