SMU is playing a big basketball game today.
If you want to take a moment and gather your thoughts after reading that first sentence, we’ll understand. It’s a lot to process.
The SMU Mustangs, absent from the NCAA Tournament for more than two decades, take an 18-5 record and third-place standing in the American Athletic Conference into a 7:30 p.m. ET home game against No. 7 Cincinnati that will be televised on ESPNU.
That SMU basketball is this good is no particular surprise given that it is coached by the great Larry Brown, a Hall of Famer and one of the game's true geniuses. But for the Mustangs (7-3 AAC) to get this good this fast is shocking. It’s hard to believe he’s only been the coach two seasons.
“I’m thrilled for the school,” Brown told Sporting News. “When I came here, I was hopeful we could be special right away. It’s changed quicker than I guess we thought, but you still want more. You want your kids still to get better. The opportunity to play Cincinnati, Connecticut, Memphis, Louisville—that makes you have to be better. I think we’re all excited, but you want more.”
It's hard to say whether this is the biggest regular-season basketball game in SMU's recent history because, well, who really remembers SMU's basketball history. There's Jon Koncak, that fluky slowdown in the NCAA Tournament against Georgetown and Patrick Ewing and, well, a lot of empty seats.
Brown admits when Temple came to town Thursday, it was hard to convince fans the Mustangs had a home game. "Everybody thought our next game was Cincinnati," he said.
A year ago, the Mustangs were 15-17, their seventh losing season in the previous eight years. There won’t be another this time around, but there might be an NCAA Tournament bid. The Mustangs are 26th in the Pomeroy ratings and 49th in the RPI, with quality wins over Connecticut and Memphis and opportunities for more still to come against each of the American’s high-level teams.
That starts with the Bearcats (22-2, 11-0) who are on a 15-game winning streak, with star guard Sean Kilpatrick averaging 25.3 points over his past four games.
The Mustangs struggled to score in games against major opponents early in the season, getting only 55 against Texas A&M, 57 against Cincinnati and 63 against Louisville. They often took tough, quick shots that undermined the attack and left the defense vulnerable.
“I’ve never been a real good offensive coach. I’m tough on kids, and I’m trying to do a better job,” Brown said. “I harp on good shots so much that early in the year kids are looking at the bench and wondering: Good shot? Bad shot? When we struggle early, it’s because of what I’m asking them to do.
“We talk about all the time: We’ve got to keep people from getting easy baskets, and you don’t do that by taking bad shots. There’s a fine line there. I think they have a better understanding of good shot/bad shot.”
In victories over Temple and Memphis, the Mustangs were extremely effective on offense, converting 56 percent of their field goal attempts. Big man Markus Kennedy, a transfer from Villanova, dominated inside with 16-of-19 shooting and averages of 17.5 points and 12 rebounds in the two games.
“When we defend and rebound and share the ball, that’s when we play the best,” Brown said. “We’re playing against a team that does that better than anybody right now. They defend and rebound, make it difficult for people to score.
“I just admire the way they play. It’s going to be fun for us.”
APPLING'S STATUS UNKNOWN
If Michigan State is smart, it will order Gary Harris to start sleeping every night in bubble wrap.
Harris, the team’s excellent sophomore shooting guard, is now the only Spartans star who is not dealing with a current injury problem. It’s nice that the Spartans have a number of high-level players, but not so great that they keep getting hurt.
The most recent to go absent is point guard Keith Appling, who missed Thursday’s home victory over Penn State with a wrist injury that’s been bothering him since the Dec. 31 game at Penn State. Coach Tom Izzo said after the game he does not know if Appling will be available to play when the Spartans (20-3, 9-1) visit Wisconsin (18-5, 5-5) for a key Big Ten road game Sunday as they try to keep pace with co-leader Michigan.
“It’s beyond disgusting, but I have no time frame,” Izzo told reporters. “I think they gave him something that is going to take a couple days. I know he won’t practice tomorrow, whether he does on Saturday, if he plays Sunday or whether we are going there without him. I wish I could tell you. I don’t care if Bo (Ryan) knows he is playing, so if I knew I would tell you.”
The Spartans have lost a combined 16 man-games from their core group of Appling, Harris, center Adreian Payne, forward Branden Dawson and wing Denzel Valentine. Payne returned to the lineup against the Nittany Lions after missing a half-dozen games to rest his aching foot. Dawson is absent with a broken hand.
In Appling’s absence, junior Travis Trice took over at point guard and played 34 minutes, passing for 7 assists without committing a turnover. He did not shoot well, making only 1-of-6 from the field and finishing with 5 points. It was not a stirring performance, but the lack of mistakes was key for Trice, who had three turnovers and went scoreless in 16 minutes of last Saturday’s loss to Georgetown.
If Trice is needed to play more, the experience could help him advance in the way that sophomore Matt Costello progressed while Payne was out. At some point, though, the Spartans need to get their regulars some playing time if they’re going to make a serious run at the 2014 NCAA Championship.
While Appling is not the Spartans’ best player, he is No. 2, given his skill set on both ends of the floor and his leadership.
“Of every guy I got on my team, he’s the toughest,” Izzo said.
DELAYED DECISION
All those waiting for Rashad Vaughn’s announcement this weekend must wait a few more days.
Vaughn, ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2014 by Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy, told multiple reporters that he’ll make his decision Tuesday. Vaughn even told the Ames Tribune that his decision may be televised, but no firm plans are set yet.
The 6-5, 203-pound Vaughn will be choosing between four schools, including Iowa State, UNLV, Kentucky and North Carolina, with the first two schools listed being the schools where he has taken official visits.
Vaughn plays for Findlay Prep in suburban Las Vegas, which is why UNLV heavily factors into his decision. It has to be easier for Vaughn to envision himself with the Runnin’ Rebels when he’s already in the school’s footprint. However, UNLV figures to have all three of its top scorers from this season return in Bryce Dejean-Jones, Roscoe Smith and Khem Birch. Vaughn has spoken highly of coach Fred Hoiberg, and the Cyclones will be losing their top two scorers, Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane, leaving Iowa State looking for candidates to replace that production.
Vaughn made an unofficial visit to North Carolina last year, but has not visited Kentucky.
Contributors: Mike DeCourcy and Roger Kuznia