Virginia Basketball vs. SMU Game Preview, Score Prediction

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Virginia will look to bounce back from another lopsided loss to a ranked opponent as the Cavaliers' road trip continues with their ACC opener against the SMU Mustangs on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, where Ron Sanchez will look to win his first ACC opener, something Tony Bennett did in each of his 15 seasons leading the UVA basketball program.

Read on for a full preview for Virginia vs. SMU, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction for Saturday's matchup.

Virginia vs. SMU Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (5-3) at SMU Mustangs (7-2)

When: Saturday, December 7th at 2:15pm ET

Where: Moody Coliseum (7,000) in Dallas, TX

How to watch: The CW

How to listen: SiriusXM 371, SXM App 371 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: Virginia leads 1-0

Last meeting: Virginia defeated SMU 76-73 in the semifinals of the Corpus Christi Challenge on November 29th, 2013.

Virginia vs. SMU Game Notes

Virginia and SMU are meeting for the second time ever, but for the first time since the Mustangs joined the Atlantic Coast Conference this summer.
In the lone previous matchup between these two programs, Anthony Gill scored 19 points and Joe Harris scored 15 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 76-73 win over the Mustangs on November 29th, 2013 in the semifinals of the Corpus Christi Tournament, which UVA went on to win by defeating Missouri State in the title game.
Virginia is opening its 72nd season of ACC basketball.
UVA is 36-35 all-time in ACC openers and Tony Bennett was a perfect 15-0 in ACC openers in his time at Virginia.
The Cavaliers have won their last 16 ACC openers.
Virginia is playing its second true road game in a row, having just lost at No. 13 Florida 87-69 on Wednesday night in the ACC/SEC Challenge. UVA was 5-6 in true road games in the 2023-2024 season.

Scouting Report: SMU

2023-2024: 20-13, 11-7 AAC (5th)
2024-2025: 7-2

Andy Enfield is in his first season at SMU after spending the last 11 seasons at USC, where he compiled a 220-147 record in 11 seasons with the Trojans, leading them to five NCAA Tournament appearances and a run to the Elite Eight in 2021. His final season at USC was turbulent and Enfield was unsuccessful in navigating through the distractions, going 15-18 overall with a team featuring Bronny James and Isaiah Collier, who were both taken in the 2024 NBA Draft.

With a revitalized athletics program at SMU, Enfield got to work in the portal and has a very talented roster, at least offensively. SMU's season has thus far mirrored Virginia's in the sense that both teams have won the games they were supposed to and lost the games against better competition, though the Mustangs have won their games with much higher scores. SMU is 7-2 and has scored more than 100 points three times, but those came against Florida A&M, Prairie View and Alabama State. The Mustangs also have wins over Tarleton State, UNC-Greensboro, California Baptist, and the no-longer-major-conference Washington State. Like Virginia, SMU failed its tests against good major conference opponents, falling to Butler 81-70 in a true road game and losing to Mississippi State 84-79 at home back on November 22nd.

Though much is still to be learned about this SMU team, the offensive numbers are pretty darn good though so far. The Mustangs are scoring 88.3 points per game (11th in Division I men's basketball), are shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc (54th in the country), and are ranked 10th in rebounding, 11th in offensive rebounding, and 19th in free throws made. SMU is ranked 21st in the country in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency rating. The defense? Not so good, ranked 128th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Mustangs has given up more than 70 points in five of their nine games. Their plan is to outgun you. Saturday's game will be a significant contrast in styles.

SMU's leading scorer is a familiar name for UVA fans. Boopie Miller started all 35 games at Wake Forest last season. In two games against Virginia, Miller recorded 14 points and seven assists in a blowout win for Wake in Winston-Salem, but was then held to nine points and two assists in the rematch, as Virginia got revenge in Charlottesville. In transferring to SMU, Miller has an identical scoring average from last season (15.6 ppg), but is averaging more assists (5.8 apg), less turnovers (2.1 per game), and more steals (1.7 spg), but is shooting much worse from three: 28.2% on 4.3 attempts per game.

Joining Miller in the back court is 6'3" guard B.J. Edwards, a former Tennessee transfer who is in his second season at SMU. Edwards is having a breakout season, nearly tripling his scoring average to 11.0 points per game while also contributing 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He is shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc.

Matt Cross starts at the wing for SMU. A 6'7" forward, Cross is at his fourth school in five seasons. He began his career at Miami, then went to Louisville, then spent the last two seasons at UMass and is now back in the ACC yet again. Cross is averaging 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and shooting 36.4% from three.

SMU has a pair of foreign bigs starting in the front court. UC Santa Barbara transfer Yohan Traore, a 6'10" forward from France, is averaging 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Rounding out the expected starting five for the Mustangs is Samet Yigitoglu, a 7'2" freshman center from Istanbul. Yigitoglu is averaging 11.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game and though he is a true freshman, he has a lot of experience playing high-level basketball in Turkey.

SMU's best shooters come off the bench. 6'2" guard Chuck Harris is the team's second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and is shooting 45.9% from three. Oregon transfer Kario Oquendo, a 6'4" guard, is shooting 51.6% from three and is also scoring in double figures at 10.6 points per game.

What to Watch for in Virginia vs. SMU

Rebounding
It was a little ugly at first, but the Cavaliers actually outrebounded the Gators 34-30 and had more offensive rebounds (13-11), which is impressive considering Florida is one of the best rebounding teams in the country. UVA needs to be ready to repeat that effort on Saturday, as SMU is right up there with Florida, ranking 11th in offensive rebounding and 10th in overall rebounding in all of college basketball. SMU's three starting forwards combine for nearly seven offensive rebounds per game and it will take a consistent and physical team effort from Virginia to neutralize them on the defensive glass.

Can UVA's defense hold up?
Virginia's offense is a work in progress. There's no doubt about that. But the bigger concern in the early stages of the season has been UVA's defense. Sure, the Cavaliers have faced some good teams who have talented players capable of making tough shots, but there have been a disproportionate number of "easy shots" given up by this Cavalier defense, which is very concerning as we evaluate interim head coach Ron Sanchez. UVA will have to put the ball in the basket as well, but after giving up 87 points on Wednesday and with one of the nation's best offenses up next on the schedule, the performance of Virginia's defense is particularly important on Saturday.

Who rises in a down ACC?
With the SEC crushing the ACC 14-2 in the ACC/SEC Challenge, the narrative that the ACC is "down" this season is probably going to stick around for the entire season. We're pretty sure that Duke and North Carolina (and maybe Pittsburgh) are good, but beyond that, there are a lot of questions about the strength and depth of this conference. That's a bad thing in the sense that it means there will likely be only a few NCAA Tournament bids assigned to the ACC, but it could also be a good thing for Ron Sanchez and the Cavaliers, who despite losing in lopsided fashion to the three good teams they've faced so far, could still climb the ranks of the conference if this really is a down year for the league. The first clue as to where Virginia sits in the pecking order of the ACC will be revealed on Saturday.

Virginia vs. SMU Score Prediction

This game will come down to UVA's ability to effectively defend SMU's many scorers and keep the Mustangs off their offensive glass. SMU's defense hasn't impressed so far, so perhaps the Cavaliers will be able to find an offensive rhythm, as they were against Villanova. If Virginia keeps the turnovers to a minimum and gives a disciplined effort on the defensive end, I see UVA coming away with a big road win to start ACC play.

Score prediction: Virginia 68, SMU 65

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