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Inside The Mustangs

SMU's Season ends with a Loss to Miami of Ohio and Here is why

Even though SMU went into the First Four game of the NCAA Tournament as favorites, they lost to the RedHawks. ending their promising season.
Ryan Kay|
SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) reacts after the game against Miami (OH). Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) reacts after the game against Miami (OH). Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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The RedHawks defeated the Mustangs 89–79 in the "First Four" of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. Despite being one of the ACC's at-large representatives, SMU couldn't overcome an inspired Miami of Ohio squad that lost the quarterfinals of the MAC conference tournament after going unbeaten in the regular season and then losing to UMass in their conference tournament.

Here are five reasons why SMU lost to the RedHawks.

1. Miami's barrage of made three-pointers.

The RedHawks' offense was solid from long range. Miami ended the night 16-of-41 (39%) shooting from 3-point range. Eian Elmer was the main reason for this success, as he shot 6 of 9 from deep, which often stopped SMU runs just as the Mustangs were starting to close the gap in the RedHawks' lead in the second half. Brant Byers made four of his nine three-point attempts, and Luke Skaljac
He made three of five three-point attempts. The three of them combined to make 13 of their 23 three-point attempts.

2. Problems with shooting early on for the Mustangs.

Miami of Ohio began to find its shooting rhythm towards the end of the first half, while SMU faced difficulties from the outset and got outscored 43-34 in the first half. The Mustangs missed their first seven three-point shots and didn't make one until the seven-minute mark of the first half. This gave Miami a 10-point lead (23–13) early on, meaning SMU had to play catch-up for the rest of the game.

3. Foul trouble took away the size advantage that SMU had.

SMU had a significant physical advantage going into this game against a mid-major team, especially with 7-foot-2 center Samet Yigitoglu. The Mustangs couldn't take advantage of their size advantage in the paint, though, often in this game, since multiple big men were in foul trouble. Yigitoglu eventually fouled out with 1:31 left, even though he only played 27 minutes, which was the fewest minutes out of all the Mustang starters. His absence took away SMU's height advantage and let the undersized RedHawks have as many rebounds (35) as the Mustangs in this game.

4. Not winning the "second chance" battles, especially on the glass.

Normally, a school from the ACC with the size and height that SMU had would dominate the boards versus a mid-major team like the RedHawks. Instead, the RedHawks showed amazing determination by getting 35 rebounds and, most importantly, matched SMU with 17 second-chance points. Miami of Ohio prevented SMU from using its physical power to wear them down by limiting SMU's extra possessions on offensive rebounds.

5. The "Home Game" Feeling for the RedHawks

The University of Dayton Arena, which is less than 50 miles from Miami's campus in Oxford, hosts the First Four. After the game, SMU head coach Andy Enfield said it felt like a real road game, and he thought that around 12,000 RedHawks fans were there. The crowd's cheers during Skaljac's transition 3-pointer in the second half crushed the Mustangs' spirits for good as they tried to make a final comeback. The crowd didn't win the game for the RedHawks, but they helped Miami of Ohio keep the momentum going when SMU cut the RedHawks' lead to only one in the second half.

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Ryan Kay
RYAN KAY

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