6. SMU Mustangs - 11-3 (2-1)
Of the three ACC Basketball newcomers, SMU has been the most competitive and has the best chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament. They have wins over LSU, Washington State, and both Virginia and Boston College to open league play.
After scoring 98 points on Big South contender Longwood to end the non-con campaign, the Mustangs had the best opportunity in the ACC, a home game against top-5 Duke. A win here would’ve put them on the national map and a signature victory for their resume. However, the Blue Devils’ defense proved to be too much this past weekend.
SMU ended up getting routed 89-62. The Mustangs, which had a top-20 scoring offense coming into the game, shot just 34% from the field and 5/21 from deep. Boopie Miller had 21 points and five assists, while freshman center Samet Yigitoglu had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Things don’t get easier for the Mustangs, as they go on the road to take on North Carolina in a very important matchup for both sides. They then come back home to face Georgia Tech before a 3 games out of 4 road sequence.