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+---- Thread: SMU - One of the five surprises so far this college basketball season (/thread-605025.html)
SMU - One of the five surprises so far this college basketball season - BamaScorpio69 - 12-04-2012 05:32 PM
Honarable mention goes to Charlotte.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/five-teams-most-exceeded-expecations-far-season-175943081--ncaab.html;_ylt=Ao4QTwAliawOfUujk8tIBp85nYcB;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0aGg0MDR0BG1pdANGRUFUVVJFRCBNZWdhdHJvbiBTUE9SVFMgRlAEcGtnA2VlNWMzNmI0LTNlNTEtMTFlMi05Zjk3LTI2MDViMzY5MmZkZQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDbWVnYXRyb24EdmVyA2YwOWU4NTkzLTNlNTEtMTFlMi1iYmJkLTA0MTJjOTExODYzOA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3
5. SMU (8-1)
Quality wins: at TCU (64-61), Utah (65-58)
Why they've exceeded expectations: Even for a coach with Larry Brown's pedigree, the rebuilding job at SMU looked daunting. The Mustangs were coming off a 19-loss season under Matt Doherty last year and Brown didn't have time to bolster the roster with many new recruits. That's what makes it so surprising and impressive Brown has led SMU to eight wins in its first nine games by developing former role players into standouts. Sophomores Jalen Jones and Ryan Manuel are two of the more improved players in Conference USA so far, while Kansas State transfer Nick Russell has also made an instant impact. Granted the schedule hasn't exactly been daunting and the biggest name victims were TCU and Utah, but SMU is undeniably progressing. Last year's Mustangs lost to the likes of Jackson State, Rice and East Carolina.
Are they legit or a mirage? Nobody is labeling undermanned SMU as a threat to Memphis in Conference USA, but it's pretty obvious the Mustangs won't be going 4-12 again in league play or finishing last as some projected. They've shot well from behind the arc, gotten to the free throw line an incredible 26.2 times per game and relied heavily on their backcourt trio of Jones, Manuel and Russell. SMU is probably going to struggle against the top teams in Conference USA — Memphis in particular — but the league is weak enough that the Mustangs can certainly be competitive. As Brown told reporters in New York this week, "They better get us this year, because we're gonna be pretty good pretty quickly."
RE: SMU - One of the five surprises so far this college basketball season - Pony94 - 12-04-2012 05:34 PM