DALLAS — For the first time in nearly a decade, SMU is heading back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Mustangs secured a No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region when the tournament field was unveiled Sunday and will open play in the First Four against Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
SMU enters the postseason with a 20–13 record and will be making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The berth marks the program’s first trip to the tournament since 2017 and its first at-large selection since 1993. The Mustangs previously reached the field with automatic bids in 2015 and 2017.
In his second season at the helm, head coach Andy Enfield has quickly guided SMU back onto the national stage. Enfield, who has now taken three different programs to the NCAA Tournament during his coaching career, helped the Mustangs build a résumé that included key wins over ranked opponents during the regular season.
SMU turned heads early in conference play with a convincing 97–83 victory over No. 12 North Carolina on Jan. 3. The Mustangs added another statement win on Feb. 17, defeating No. 21 Louisville 95–85 as the team continued to establish itself as one of the conference’s most potent offensive units.
For much of the season, SMU hovered around the national rankings. The Mustangs received votes in either the Associated Press Top 25 or the USA Today Coaches Poll in nine different weeks. On Jan. 5, they cracked the rankings at No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches poll, marking the program’s first appearance in the national rankings since the end of the 2016–17 season.
Offense has been the identity of this SMU team. The Mustangs average 84.2 points per game, ranking near the top of the ACC and among the best scoring teams nationally. Ball movement has also been a strength, with SMU averaging nearly 17 assists per game.
Efficiency has fueled that production. The Mustangs are shooting 49 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, both marks ranking among the top teams in the conference and nationally.
Now the focus shifts to Dayton, where SMU will try to extend its season and advance into the tournament’s main bracket. Standing in the way is a Miami (Ohio) team that arrives with a 31–1 record, setting up a high-stakes First Four matchup with a trip to the round of 64 on the line.
