SMU Basketball: What does the Mustangs’ win over Wichita State mean?

SMU basketball enhanced their NCAA Tournament profile with a huge win against Wichita State. How did the Mustangs do it and what does it mean?

The Mustangs snapped a three-game losing skid in an unlikely way: they won at Wichita State. The Shockers rarely lose in their home gym, as evidenced by their twenty-seven game win streak at Koch Arena entering Wednesday, Jan. 17.

SMU accomplished this rare feat by submitting a virtual offensive clinic against the Shockers. As ESPN analyst Dino Gaudio noted during the broadcast, the Mustangs continuously exploited the Shockers’ defense by using ball screens. With a variety of pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop plays, SMU torched Wichita State en route to an 83-78 victory.

In addition to their great ball screen action, the Mustangs were on fire from beyond the arc. SMU shot a blistering 50% (11-22) on 3-point attempts in this contest. Junior guards Shake Milton (5-6) and Jahmal McMurray (3-7) were especially potent from long-range for the Mustangs.

Milton was the star of the evening for SMU as he tallied a career-high 33 points along with five assists. McMurray provided a great spark off the bench by chipping in 16 points of his own. His contributions were essential due to an injury to guard Jarrey Foster early in the game.

While SMU does not have great depth, they showed a balanced scoring attack against the Shockers. Forward Ethan Chargois added 12 points and was key to the offense with his role in setting screens. Also, Ben Emelogu II was a valuable contributor for the Mustangs with 10 points.

Next: What makes Wichita State a title contender?

While there is still plenty of time until Selection Sunday, the Mustangs should feel pretty good right now. A road win against a team of Wichita State’s caliber gives SMU’s resume a huge boost. Moreover, the Shockers actually played well in this game and the Mustangs still beat them. SMU should now have confidence in knowing it can beat anyone on a given night.

In our most recent Bracketology projections, SMU was listed as an 11-seed. These projections were prior to the win over Wichita State so the Mustangs’ position will surely improve. Again, it’s still early but SMU has significantly raised its tournament profile and should feel much better about its selection odds.