The Miami RedHawks beat a dead horse on Wednesday, scoring 16 three-pointers on a season-high 41 attempts to bury the Mustangs in their NCAA March Madness play-in game.
Despite repeated assurances from SMU head coach Andy Enfield that the All-ACC Defensive Team player BJ Edwards would play in the tournament, he was ruled out just hours before the game. The Mustangs went 1-5 without Edwards in the regular season, but SMU argued that with his return, it was a tournament-quality team.
Keith Gill, NCAA Selection Committee Chair, said in an interview on Selection Sunday that SMU was the last team selected for the tournament, and that Edward’s assumed return to health played a factor in the decision.
“Six games ago [SMU] lost one of their best players,” Gill said. “[Edwards] is coming back. He’s their third-leading scorer… so the quality of wins and obviously them getting back to full strength allowed them to get that last spot.”
Edwards did not come back. The ACC leader in steals would’ve been a major defensive asset for the Mustangs, as Miami outplayed SMU on offense from start to finish.
“We thought [Edwards] was right there,” Enfield said. “It’s a very heartbreaking thing to have someone that wants to be out there and just can’t do it. He wanted to be out there more than anybody.”
With the crowd at their backs, the RedHawks jumped out to a commanding lead in the first half. Miami University drilled 10 three-pointers, taking a 43-34 lead. Junior Eian Elmer led the charge, draining four of six three-pointers on his way to 14 points in the half.
On the other side of the court, SMU made just three of 13 shots from beyond the arc. Whereas Jaden Toombs led SMU with nine points, the RedHawks had three different players score double-digits.
“They put five guys on the court that can shoot the three,” Enfield said. “The three-point line can be a great equalizer at times.”
SMU got off to a better start in the second half, closing the gap to 46-42 with 17:12 remaining. Toombs drained two free throws and two field goals, improving to 14 points without missing a single shot.
Sam Walters drained a three-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions to tie the game with just under 15 minutes to play. Despite regaining the lead momentarily on a Corey Washington slam dunk, Miami went on a 13-0 run to take a 63-50 lead. The wheels fell off for SMU in the subsequent minutes, as the RedHawks drained shot after shot to send the Mustangs packing.
Every shot Miami made was met with a roar from the crowd, which was predominantly RedHawks fans. With its campus in Oxford, Ohio located just over 40 miles from the game at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, the matchup was practically a home game for Miami.
“They probably had 12,000 fans here,” Enfield said. “It felt like 40 or 50,000.”
Despite a few late scores, the lead proved insurmountable and the Mustangs lost, 89-79. Elmer led the RedHawks with 23 points, while Brant Byers and Luke Skaljac contributed 19 and 17, respectively.
Toombs led the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds, draining 80% of his shots. Boopie Miller reached the 2000 career point threshold in his final collegiate game, joining Jaron Pierre Jr. as one of just seven current players to achieve the feat. Though he was disappointed in the season’s outcome, Miller said he hoped the season would set an expectation for SMU’s underclassmen players.
“We did a good job at just getting here, wish it would have ended better,” Miller said. “I hope I helped a lot of the young guys get motivation when they get to this spot to go harder and do the right things at the beginning of the season.”
Fans took to social media to criticize SMU, both for Enfield’s coaching and for its overall inclusion in the tournament. SMU has not won an NCAA tournament game since 1988, and in Enfield’s two years as head coach, the Mustangs have gone 13-14 in February and March.
“Out coached. Out played. Out hustled,” SMU alumnus Lawrence Grimm commented on Instagram. “Can’t help to feel that we lied about Edwards being ready to play just to get in. We took a spot from a team who was probably willing to put forth some effort.”
The Mustangs end the season 20-14, and the RedHawks will advance to the Round of 64 to face Tennessee on Friday, March 20.
