With their win over Memphis on Saturday, the Mustangs (10-10, 3-3 conference) proved that their win over the University of Central Florida was not just a fluke. Now, when they take the court against Southern Miss on Tuesday, they need to prove they can be consistent.
 

The SMU men’s basketball team will be going for their fifth consecutive win when they pay a visit to the Golden Eagles (12-8, 2-4 conference) on Tuesday, Feb. 2.  
 

In all their conference games so far this season, the Mustangs have held their opponents to 16.1 points below their season average. Southern Miss is averaging 67.2 points per game.
Over the last four games, SMU has won by an average of 13.5 points, mostly by riding the hot hand of senior Derek Williams, who is averaging 21.5 points and 5.3 assists per game during their winning streak. Though Williams has shouldered most of the load, he has been receiving plenty of help.
 

Junior Papa Dia has been dominant in the paint, averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. Sophomore Robert Nyakundi has come into his own this year, averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
 

Nyakundi has been deadly behind the arc and his shooting has helped spread the floor to allow Dia to dominate against smaller post defenders.
 

The Mustangs’ biggest challenge will be Southern Miss’s Gary Flowers, the highest scoring player for the Golden Eagles with 14.3 points per game. Flowers also averages 8.0 rebounds per game, which is just shy of Dia, who averages 8.2 rebounds per game.
 

However, SMU should be full of confidence after dealing Memphis their second conference loss of the season. The Mustangs are finally living up to their potential. Now it is time to see if they can maintain it.