ESPN: Which surprise teams are for real?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:35 amSouthern Methodist Mustangs
Speaking personally, Southern Methodist has been the single most surprising team in the nation this season. And by that I specifically mean I would have wagered any sum in the preseason that I would not be writing about the Mustangs in the month of March.
Larry Brown has this defense limiting American opponents to 0.94 points per trip, and no offense in the league gets to the line the way the Mustangs do. Granted, that's not always good news: Markus Kennedy is hitting just 57 percent of his free throws this season. But with Nic Moore shooting 84 percent at the line, Southern Methodist as a team has been comfortably middle-of-the-pack in free throw accuracy in conference play.
SMU has a golden opportunity this week to record a huge win at home over Louisville, and if that happens, everyone will be on this bandwagon. But even if it doesn't, remember how I said believe in Cincinnati? A good shorthand for SMU would be: "Defense almost as good as the Bearcats' but with a better offense." So, yes, believe in the Mustangs."
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college ... basketball
Speaking personally, Southern Methodist has been the single most surprising team in the nation this season. And by that I specifically mean I would have wagered any sum in the preseason that I would not be writing about the Mustangs in the month of March.
Larry Brown has this defense limiting American opponents to 0.94 points per trip, and no offense in the league gets to the line the way the Mustangs do. Granted, that's not always good news: Markus Kennedy is hitting just 57 percent of his free throws this season. But with Nic Moore shooting 84 percent at the line, Southern Methodist as a team has been comfortably middle-of-the-pack in free throw accuracy in conference play.
SMU has a golden opportunity this week to record a huge win at home over Louisville, and if that happens, everyone will be on this bandwagon. But even if it doesn't, remember how I said believe in Cincinnati? A good shorthand for SMU would be: "Defense almost as good as the Bearcats' but with a better offense." So, yes, believe in the Mustangs."
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college ... basketball