DAYTON, Ohio — SMU just wanted to put the narratives to bed.
In football, the shadow of the death penalty stretched more than 30 years. In basketball, it was a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought and a reputation for falling short on Selection Sunday.
The move to the ACC was supposed to change that — a chance to return to college sports’ biggest stages and reshape how SMU is perceived.
Less than two years in, the Mustangs have done exactly that, at least in terms of access.
Football reached the College Football Playoff in its first ACC season. Just over a year later, men’s basketball returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 in Head Coach Andy Enfield’s second year.
The door has been opened for the Mustangs. But proving they belong when all eyes on them has been a bigger challenge.
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“I’m not content. We believe here that these are the types of things that we should be doing and that we can do,” SMU Athletic Director Damon Evans said in an exclusive interview with The Dallas Morning News Thursday. “What I don’t want to happen for us is to just be OK with making the tournament or getting into the CFP. While they are major accomplishments for our program, our expectations are higher.”
In December 2024, SMU’s College Football Playoff run ended almost as soon as it began. Two first-half pick-sixes by quarterback Kevin Jennings buried the Mustangs in a 38-10 loss to Penn State. As the last at-large team in the field, SMU became an easy target, especially for SEC fans who believed Alabama deserved the spot.
A year and a half later in Dayton, the script felt familiar.
Again the final team in the field, SMU was outplayed by Miami (Ohio) in an 89-79 loss in the First Four Wednesday night. The RedHawks shot the lights out, and the Mustangs couldn’t keep up, especially without injured starter B.J. Edwards. SMU had also previously said Edwards was expected to return for the tournament, influencing the committee’s decision to put the Mustangs in over a team like Auburn or Oklahoma.
With the losses came questions, and SMU’s coaches had to defend their programs, in almost identical answers.
“We didn’t play very good today, but this is a quality team, and we deserved to be here,” SMU football coach Rhett Lashlee said in December 2024.
“We deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament if you look at all our metrics and our wins,” Enfield said Wednesday night.
The Mustangs have done enough to get in. It’s been institutional progress, with men’s soccer also winning the ACC and volleyball making the Sweet 16 for the first time this school year.
But until they deliver on these stages in their most visible sports, they’ll keep having to explain themselves after the fact.
So, what will it take to remove the doubt?
“We’ve shown a lot of resiliency. This institution has been through a lot when you look at our past,” Evans said. “I didn’t come to SMU to say let’s just be OK with being OK. We have the resources to do so, and we have a great city as a backdrop and community. When you put all that together, I always say, why not us?”
Enfield’s program is already trending up. After narrowly missing the tournament last year, SMU broke through this season, picking up four Quad 1 wins and its first ranked victories since 2022. The roster, though losing key contributors like Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre Jr., still has a foundation with returning pieces such as Samet Yigitoglu, Jaden Toombs and Jermaine O’Neal Jr.
“Our young players have learned a lot this year,” Enfield said. “The goal was for the freshmen to come off the bench and improve, which they did … and be exposed to all these great environments. Hopefully, they’ll take that and have a huge offseason and improve.”
But development alone isn’t enough. Availability matters, too.
In back-to-back seasons, late injuries have lowered SMU’s ceiling. Last year, it was Miller, who missed five games down the stretch. This year, it was Edwards. While Enfield emphasized, “It’s a team sport,” the results suggest SMU still hasn’t figured out how to absorb those losses when it matters most.
The disappointing ends to the 2024 football season and 2025-26 basketball season may leave a sour taste for Mustang fans. But less than two years into the ACC, SMU has returned to national relevance.
“There’s a saying out there that ‘on course’ doesn’t mean perfect,” Evans said. “‘On course’ means when things aren’t going perfectly, you’re still heading in the right direction. Last night, things didn’t go perfect for us, but I do believe that we’re headed in the right direction.
“Progress is being made. That’s what you want to see.”
Now, the Mustangs just have to show staying power and not let another decade pass before they dance again.
“I think we paved the way,” SMU senior Corey Washington said. “We set a standard here. We just expect those guys to come out next year and get right back to it.”
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