Most of you NCAA March Madness fanatics, bracket makers, and gamblers were most likely only concerned with the Connecticut Huskies’ road of upsets to an NCAA Championship, led by Shabazz Napier. Yes, this unbelievable success story was entertaining to all March Madness onlookers, but it may have overshadowed another success story in the NCAA. This year, Dallas’s very own Southern Methodist University Mustangs were able to dip their toes, but not fully immerse themselves, in the Madness of March.
The Mustangs may not have reached the NCAA tournament with a 27-10 record, but they were invited to play in the National Invitational Tournament. Although fans and players were upset with the NCAA for not picking SMU to be a part of the NCAA tournament, SMU Coach Larry Brown and his Mustangs made the most of the NIT by reaching the championship game. Even though they made it there, the Mustangs suffered a devastating 65-63 loss in a hard fought championship game against Minnesota in Madison Square Garden. The game was neck-in-neck for the full 40 minutes of playing time, with several lead changes throughout the game. At half, SMU was down 30-27 to the Golden Gophers. Hungry for a championship, SMU managed to rally back in the second half and had a 7 point lead with just 5:52 to play in the game. At that point, Richard Pitino, Minnesota head coach, called a necessary timeout to regroup and draw out a game plan for his team. After the timeout, the Gophers went on a 7-0 run which tied the game and allowed for the Gophers to take the reins and hold off the SMU mustangs. Even though the Mustangs may have lost in the NIT Championship, this year proved to be one of the most successful seasons SMU basketball has seen in a long time.
The roots of this past 2013-2014 successful season lie in the coaching staff of the Mustangs. In the 2012-2013 season, legendary coach Larry Brown started his career with the SMU Mustangs. Brown, age 73, is decorated with wins after 39 seasons of head coaching. Larry Brown is the only coach in basketball history to ever win both an NBA championship and an NCAA national championship, an astonishing feat that other coaches only dream of. Brown won an NCAA championship with Kansas in 1988 and a NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2006. Even though this was only Brown’s second season with SMU, he was one win away this season from tying the most wins in a season by the school, set in the 87-88 season. Brown was honored with being named one of 5 finalists of the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Award, an award that he received 26 years ago with his Kansas National champion team. The SMU fans clearly approve of Brown as a coach, for during the upset game in the regular season against Cincinnati, the chant of “Larry, Larry, Larry” resounded throughout Moody Coliseum.
Not only did Brown contribute to this successful season, but some might credit Moody Coliseum with it as well. Yes, a stadium can indeed impact a teams season, and it certainly did for the SMU Mustangs. Before this past season, Moody Coliseum appeared as a “dump,” if you will. A 58-year-old stadium that sold expired food, was filthy with grease and years of use, and never sold out any games was surely no environment for a winning team. That was Moody Coliseum just before the renovation that took place this off-season and during part of the regular season. During this revamping, Moody Coliseum turned itself around, modernizing the layout of the arena, providing a better atmosphere for the fans. This created a more enjoyable and positive experience for fans and players alike. This 40 million dollar project combined with membership in the newly formed American Conference led to several sold out games this season, particularly the post season NIT home games. “Moody Magic,” a phrase coined along with the renovated stadium, describes what exactly Moody Coliseum did for the Mustangs this year. Moody Coliseum truly was magical for the Mustangs, considering they went 18-1 at home, a tremendous difference from the 7-7 home record in the 2012-2013 season.
At the core of SMU’s tremendous season was quite obviously the team itself. Led by their 5’9 sophomore point guard Nic Moore, the Mustangs had a tremendously talented roster. The Mustangs proved to have a deep bench averaging a solid 25.6 points per game. Nic Moore and Marcus Kennedy led the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 and 12.6 ppg, respectively. Kennedy’s ability to play offensively shined in the semifinal game of the NIT when he had a crucial 21 points and 15 rebounds against Memphis. The team played 13 games in which they shot 50% or better and averaged 48.3% from the field on the season, an averaged that ranked 18th in the NCAA. Defensively, the Mustangs accumulated 282 steals on the season and 165 blocked shots, a new SMU single season record.
If the Mustangs keep this type of play and improvement up, SMU is on there way to becoming a possible National Championship contender in the next few years. With Larry Brown, his staff, and a talented group of players willing push themselves to the limits, anything is possible for the Mustangs. Looking forward, Emanuel Mudiay, ranked as the 5th best player in his class by ESPN, has signed with SMU for next season. SMU and its fans have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years—their future in the NCAA appears to be very bright.
