ESPN: Count 'Em Down: Teams poised for a leap

[CoxMustangFan]

Sorry if this has already been posted.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... ig-strides

[blackoutpony]

Sorry if this has already been posted.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... ig-strides

This came out this morning. You're good.

[Harry0569]

Beat me to it. GO PONIES

3. SMU: I’m not ready to say the Mustangs will end an NCAA tournament drought that dates back to 1993, but I definitely think they’ll at least be on the bubble in late February and early March. That’d be a huge jump for a program that finished 15-17 in Larry Brown’s first season, but SMU has added enough quality pieces to make it possible. Illinois State transfer Nic Moore, who redshirted last season, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team in 2011-12. Signee Yanick Moreira was the top-ranked junior college big man in the nation, and incoming freshman Keith Frazier will become the first McDonald’s All American ever to suit up for SMU, which also returns three double-digit scorers in Nick Russell, Jalen Jones and Ryan Manuel. If Brown gets this group to jell quickly, this could be the best season for Mustangs basketball in decades.

[PonyPlayer4]

A lot of preseason press to live up to for these kids.

[SMU2007]

We've got a long long way to go but almost an entirely new roster. Can't wait to watch it all play out

[ponyinNC]

wow, beat me to it. Nice to see!

[SMU 86]

A lot of preseason press to live up to for these kids.

The key is will they gel. So it is not putting direct immediate pressure on them because they need time to gel. Plus, Larry Brown took the pressure off them by saying that the team would be good id he did not mess them up. The article also does not put pressure on them to make it to the NCAA tournament. I also think each kid on the team wants to better better than last years team regardless to what press they get. Some players even think the press in not giving them enough credit. So the team might actually play with a chip on their shoulder which is good.

[gostangs]

i think they will play with a chip on their shoulders because they are that kind of player - which we have not ever had at SMU. Maybe Sasser. The give me the ball and get the He11 out of my way kind of player. Plus a coupld of major league "i want to embarrass you" blankets on D.

Im a big football guy but i am much more fired up about the basketball team.

[LA_Mustang]

To gostangs point, we are bringing in players who expect to win. Their past and ratings suggest they will embrace expectations and hopefully meet them. This isn't a group of overachievers needing to be coached up to win....even though they will be coached up.

[blackoutpony]

i think they will play with a chip on their shoulders because they are that kind of player - which we have not ever had at SMU. Maybe Sasser. The give me the ball and get the He11 out of my way kind of player. Plus a coupld of major league "i want to embarrass you" blankets on D.

Im a big football guy but i am much more fired up about the basketball team.

Same. Football is favorite sport, bar none, but I find myself much more excited for basketball season

[Treadway21]

To gostangs point, we are bringing in players who expect to win. Their past and ratings suggest they will embrace expectations and hopefully meet them. This isn't a group of overachievers needing to be coached up to win....even though they will be coached up.

Great point. The attitude of this team will be one of confidence compared to what our record indicates. You can throw last year's record out the window when looking at this team's potential - this team has confidence beyond past performance.

[Harry0569]

I am most excited about our depth. We could theoretically be 9-10 deep. No more 39 minutes played from JJ, RM, NR. Hopefully, the extended rotation will allow everyone to be fresh, so that we don't run out of gas in the last ten minutes of the game.

Once we have a few early season Ws (i.e. gain confidence) under our belt, I feel like the sky is the limit. I am definitely going to try and go to a few road games, whether it is in Cinci, L'ville, Memphis, etc.

[SMU 86]

I think they will play man to man and they will pick you up at the airport.

[Alaric]

The fact that three of our "newcomers" are transfers and practiced all last year will help the transitions.

[SMU2007]

Are any of our games going to be televised?