Just showed up on the DMN Blog from EJ:
Best-case/worst-case scenarios for SMU basketball this season
By EJ Holland [email protected]
9:00 am on November 13, 2014 | Permalink
Here is a look at the best and worst-case scenarios for the Ponies this season.
Best-case: Markus Kennedy gets eligible and continues his dominance down low, point guard Nic Moore is even better than before and Keith Frazier becomes a lethal shooting guard after an up and down freshman year. Along with these three cornerstones, SMU uses its depth to win the American Athletic Conference and lock up a No. 3 seed in the big dance. From there, Larry Brown leads the Mustangs all the way to the Final Four before bowing out valiantly. SMU once again becomes the hot school on the recruiting trail and fans begin to ask the question: Emmanuel Mudiay who? Brown signs an extension to coach until he’s 90 and helps lure Mack Brown to take over the football program.
Worst-case: Markus Kennedy never gets eligible, leaving SMU with a big hole in the paint. Nic Moore gets injured and with no Emmanuel Mudiay on the roster, SMU struggles with Ryan Manuel running the show at point guard. Ben Moore and Sterling Brown both undergo sophomore slumps and Keith Frazier regresses. New transfers Ben Emelogu and Justin Martin don’t fit in well and fail to make major impacts. Still, Larry Brown finds a way to make this team competitive, but the Mustangs once again miss the NCAA Tournament and return to the NIT. Fans begin to wonder what could have been if Mudiay had stuck with his original decision. SMU loses its luster and Brown decides to retire at the end of the year. Mack Brown doesn’t leave his ESPN gig, and SMU permanently makes Tom Mason its head football coach.
Predictions:
– Number of wins: 25 (regular season)
– Conference prediction: First in AAC
– Postseason prediction: NCAA Tournament, Sweet 16
EJ Holland is the Associate Editor at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. You can follow him on Twitter @EJSports4.