Fresh off their second Conference USA victory, the Mustangs head to El Paso to take on the UTEP Miners Wednesday at 8 p.m.

This will be the second time this season that SMU (8-17, 2-10) faces the Miners (16-10, 7-5). UTEP defeated the Mustangs 74-68 in a game at Moody Coliseum on Jan. 10.

With only four games remaining in the regular season, SMU has a chance to climb out of their long standing at last place in conference polls. Three of the four games are against teams in the top half of the standings, but all it takes is one upset win to bring the Mustangs to a tie with Rice University for 11th place.

SMU will try to take the first step by defeating a UTEP that is coming of a close game with the University of Memphis on Saturday. UTEP brings the third highest scoring offense in the conference at 75.7 points-per-game. Two guards, senior Stefon Jackson and sophomore Randy Culpepper, both rank as top-five scorers in the conference, with Jackson averaging 23.2 and Culpepper averaging 18.1 points.

Freshman guard Paul McCoy, who averages 13.9 points-per-game and has scored at least 10 points in seven straight games, leads SMU. Senior center Bamba Fall has stepped his effort up lately as well.

After scoring in double figures only once during the first nine conference games, Fall has done so in three of the last four, with the only exception coming in a 90-47 loss at Memphis.

In addition, Fall has provided inspiring defensive play, coming up with two game-saving blocked shots in the final minute in the Mustang’s win over Rice.

To have a chance defeating the Miners on their own court, SMU needs to continue to have those kind of defensive performances without allowing the Miners opportunities to score from the free throw line. UTEP leads conference in free throws attempted and free throws made. In fact, UTEP has made 100 more free throws than SMU has even attempted, by a count of 544-442.

After its game against the Miners, SMU comes home for its game against Tulsa University on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.

Bush gives inspirational speech

George W. Bush made his first stop on the SMU campus Tuesday at the Mustangs’ early morning practice.

Bush came into the locker room after practice, to the surprise of everyone except head coach Matt Doherty. Players didn’t know that Bush would make an appearance.

He encouraged the team just a few hours before it boarded the plane for El Paso.

Doherty could not be reached for comment.