SMU women’s basketball opens its season in Moody Coliseum Saturday against Alcorn State at noon.

Ranked No. 20 in the country by Dan Olson’s Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and rated as the top recruiting class in Conference USA, the Mustangs are looking forward to a breakout season.

“I am thrilled about signing this top-20 class in the country. August can’t come fast enough. I am ecstatic about working with and developing these athletes,” head coach Rhonda Rompola told SMU Athletics in May.

“Combining one of the top signing classes in the country with the group of student-athletes we already have in the program will help [the team] compete at the level we expect to be at year after year.”

The Mustangs signed seven players for the upcoming season, including three transfers.

Keena Mays, a transfer from Kansas, started off the spring 2012 semester at SMU. The Mustangs also added another player in January, Brittney Hardy, who transferred from Oklahoma State and was able to start in 10 games last season due to her immediate eligibility.

“These girls are now like my little sisters and we work hard for each other each and every day,” Alisha Filmore, senior, said. “We definitely will be surprising some people this season, so watch out for the women’s basketball team.”