SB Nation: SMU is thriving in spite of post-season ban

[Harry0569]

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketb ... -nic-moore

Nic Moore was promptly greeted by two Michigan defenders as he sped around a ball screen late in the first half on Tuesday night. SMU's senior point guard kept his poise in the face of a trap, spinning left to deliver a pass to teammate Ben Moore at the free throw line. Moore then found Keith Frazier curling around the arc, where the junior swished the Mustangs' sixth three-pointer of the half.

Frazier's shot capped a 15-4 SMU run that turned a close game into an 82-58 blowout and caused an eruption from the home crowd. It was a cathartic moment of release for fans well aware that a home game against a Big Ten team is about as high as the stakes will get this season.

SMU is now one of 10 undefeated teams remaining in the country, but they'll be robbed of a chance to show how good they really are. A postseason tournament ban was the biggest penalty levied by the NCAA in an academic fraud case allegedly centered around Frazier. No matter how many wins SMU racks up, we'll never know if they're truly one of the best teams in America.

Head coach Larry Brown was watching at home on Tuesday for the seventh game of his nine-game NCAA suspension, but he must have liked what he saw. SMU has a terrific senior point guard, two big men who can finish inside and a collection of rangy wings who can stretch the floor offensively and defend on the other end.

In a year that's wide open with no dominant team, the Mustangs have looked as impressive as anyone. The allegations aren't to be taken lightly, but it's still a shame a 75-year-old legend like Brown won't get the chance to run out seniors like Nic Moore, Jordan Tolbert and Markus Kennedy in the NCAA Tournament.

SMU now has the No. 10 offense in the country according to KenPom thanks to a roster that aggressively attacks the offensive glass and can shoot from anywhere. This is a team making 45.4 percent of its threes while posting an offensive rebound rate of 43.7 percent -- the fourth-best mark in the country.

It starts with Nic Moore, the diminutive floor general at the center of everything for the Mustangs. He was at his best against Michigan, constantly probing the defense to open up opportunities for everyone else. He went 3 for 4 from behind the arc on his way to 15 points, but his seven assists proved to be what really powered the offense.

Moore and Tolbert were unstoppable in the two-man game all night after Tolbert replaced an injured Kennedy in the first minute of the game. Tolbert finished with 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field, nine of which came on dunks. Moore was making his life easy, as was a weak Michigan front line.

Whether it's Kennedy or Tolbert playing the five, SMU knows it has a tough combination to stop at the college level with Moore at the controls. SMU surrounds them with a group of athletic wings who have been equally impressive to start the season.

Junior Ben Moore is a 6'8, 205-pound wing who does just about everything but shoot from the perimeter. He has a speed advantage on almost every opposing four, and his all-around game complements the rest of the roster. He stuffed the box score again vs. Michigan, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He's turning into one of the better glue guys in the country.

Frazier might be the reason SMU is in this mess, but he's turned into a weapon on the wing. The former McDonald's All-American is shooting 36.4 percent from three and finished with 15 points against Michigan. He and follow junior wing Sterling Brown were also a big reason why Michigan star Caris LeVert was held to his worst performance of the season, shooting only 1 for 13 from the floor.

With a pair of freshmen in Shake Milton and Jarrey Foster rounding out the rotation, SMU has eight players who complement each other well on both ends. Michigan was the first team SMU faced in the top 85 of KenPom's rankings, but the Mustangs passed that test easily enough. They'll be challenged against Tulsa, Cincinnati and UConn in the American, but the schedule looks like it's setting up for SMU to post a gaudy regular season record.

SMU isn't appealing its NCAA Tournament ban, so that dream is already dead. What's left for the Mustangs is pride in themselves and the chance to try to convince the rest of the country they could have been a worthy Final Four contender if given the chance.

The post-season ban will end after this year, but SMU will never get this opportunity back with three key seniors. All they can do is keep winning. So far, they're off to a convincing start.

[JoeKidd]

What a shame the NCAA has robbed us of our time in the sunshine....truly criminal. Keep on winning 'Stangs!

[smupony94]

@JonRothstein 4m4 minutes ago

SMU's Markus Kennedy has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle, sources told @CBSSports. Timetable for return is TBD.

[DiamondM]

And this is precisely why I thought we should appeal the post season ban. If we lose the appeal, or even drop it, before the tournament, we are in no worse position than not appealing but we have put pressure on the NCAA to make a decision (both on our case an other cases). Of course if you win the appeal, the strongest team in recent memory, full of seniors, gets a post season in which we would have had a very good chance to go far. But we did not appeal hoping that next year's team -- without Kennedy, Tolbert, or Nic -- and future teams may be good.

I still say we should have gone with the bird in the hand rather than 2 in the bush, with an outside chance of getting the bird in the hand and the 2 in the bush, than go for none in the hand with the hope of catching those 2 in the bush next year. But I'm not in charge.

[smupony94]

We wouldn't have any recruits next year

[Rebel10]

We wouldn't have any recruits next year

Yes, we would. Wilson said in an interview that the sanctions did not bother him because he was a big Iverson fan and wanted to be coached by LB.

[smupony94]

Ok one then

[Rebel10]

McDowell was committed before the sanctions and would have been here anyway as well.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Easy to say once you know you already have a shot at the tournament too.

[Rebel10]

Easy to say once you know you already have a shot at the tournament too.

So are you saying he is lying?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Easy to say once you know you already have a shot at the tournament too.

So are you saying he is lying?

No

[Rebel10]

Easy to say once you know you already have a shot at the tournament too.

So are you saying he is lying?

No

Okay then, glad you are taking him at his word.

[hoopmanx]

PROGRAM not a one-off season. This is a delicious national sob story waiting to happen, culminated w/us rushing the court after the last home game, win or lose, just to hug these kids, these seniors. They are kids and took a close range bullet to the head, in the name of SMU basketball and The Godfather. The pain and story will be very real, but we'll be alive and well as a program come May and the pain will ease.

You can't recruit if you appeal. We're about to dominate the Spring signing period for available bigs and return our jr class, who may not be as lauded as Nic/markus, but are 4 yr kids. Be steely-eyed, show resolve and don't succumb to the emotion of the moment. Our guys didn't leave, nobody quit, and they're on a mission. 10 days after our last game, 95% of the country will be done playing. As sucky as those 10 days will be, we're still gonna be a big dog for years to come

[Harry0569]

PROGRAM not a one-off season. This is a delicious national sob story waiting to happen, culminated w/us rushing the court after the last home game, win or lose, just to hug these kids, these seniors. They are kids and took a close range bullet to the head, in the name of SMU basketball and The Godfather. The pain and story will be very real, but we'll be alive and well as a program come May and the pain will ease.

You can't recruit if you appeal. We're about to dominate the Spring signing period for available bigs and return our jr class, who may not be as lauded as Nic/markus, but are 4 yr kids. Be steely-eyed, show resolve and don't succumb to the emotion of the moment. Our guys didn't leave, nobody quit, and they're on a mission. 10 days after our last game, 95% of the country will be done playing. As sucky as those 10 days will be, we're still gonna be a big dog for years to come

AMEN. It's about the long-term sustainability/success of the program, not about 1-year. Let's kick everyone's [deleted] this year and gear up for the future.

[Rebel10]

[qagreete="DiamondM"]And this is precisely why I thought we should appeal the post season ban. If we lose the appeal, or even drop it, before the tournament, we are in no worse position than not appealing but we have put pressure on the NCAA to make a decision (both on our case an other cases). Of course if you win the appeal, the strongest team in recent memory, full of seniors, gets a post season in which we would have had a very good chance to go far. But we did not appeal hoping that next year's team -- without Kennedy, Tolbert, or Nic -- and future teams may be good.

I still say we should have gone with the bird in the hand rather than 2 in the bush, with an outside chance of getting the bird in the hand and the 2 in the bush, than go for none in the hand with the hope of catching those 2 in the bush next year. But I'm not in charge.[/quote]

I agree.