Mike Walker (22) is one of many freshmen looking to improve on the Mustangs’ slow start to the 2007-08 season. (Stuart Palley)
For the first time this year, the SMU men’s basketball team (1-4) has a chance to put together a winning streak. The Mustangs will travel to face the UT- San Antonio Roadrunners (3-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Roadrunners have opened the season strong with convincing wins over Mary Hardin-Baylor, Navy and Paul Quinn. Their only loss this season came against the University of Texas on Nov. 12.
Freshman guard Devin Gibson has led the Roadrunners on the court this year. He averages a team-leading 18.8 points per game and over five rebounds per game. Gibson has also been effective defensively with 4.25 steals per game.
Quick players like Gibson will make it tough for the Mustangs to bring the ball up the court. Guards Jon Killen and Mike Walker will need to take care of the ball for the Mustangs to have a chance against UTSA.
The Mustangs have had trouble with turnovers so far this season. They have averaged over 15 turnovers per game this season.
Last time out, the Mustangs got their first win of the season over Paul Quinn. The young Mustangs got out to an early, double-digit lead, and they were able to hold on for the rest of the game.
Offensively, SMU has featured a balanced attack that involves nearly every player on the court. During some games, the Mustangs try to exploit their size advantage by working through post players Bamba Fall and Papa Dia.
Against smaller teams like Paul Quinn, SMU starts off with a smaller lineup in an attempt to match the quickness of small teams. In these games, the SMU offense thrives off penetration and three pointers.
The Mustangs depth and motion offense are largely responsible for the balanced scoring attack. The depth allows for SMU to adjust to other teams’ lineups, and the motion offense allows free movement that opens up scoring opportunities for everyone on the court.
It is impossible to predict who will start the game for the Mustangs. However, considering that UTSA is one of the smaller teams SMU will face throughout the year, it is likely the starting lineup will look similar to the lineup against Paul Quinn.
A win against the Roadrunners would be a big confidence boost and momentum builder for the Mustangs. The momentum and confidence boosts would come just in time for the home showdown against rival TCU next week.
