Wake Forest

[Casey]

I saw something on ESPN the other day where they said Wake might be the best team in the country that nobody's paying attention to. They said Wake has the ingredients for a long NCAA run.

Time to set them back a notch! Go PONIES!

[LA_Mustang]

Wake is a very young team. They only have one senior and he rarely plays. Inside, they have a couple of talented 6'9"/6'10" players in Soph Erik Williams and Junior Jamaal Levy. Williams is a BIG boy (280+) and their leading scorer. Castro and Rack will have have their hands full trying to battle with this guy. Levy is a very thin, athletic player. I believe Simpson will match up with him as they both have similar games.

The PG match-up may be the most entertaining thing about this game. Wake has super freshman Chris Paul. He was a McDonald's All-American and can flat out play. Paul is shooting over 50% from the field and has rarely turned the ball over in his first 5 college games. This kid might already be Wake's best player. Basically, its our stud vs their stud. I hope Hop is ready.

A couple of Justin's will match up at the 2. Wake's Justin Gray has good all around game and averaged 13 pts last year as a freshman. Isham needs to play tough defense and keep him out of the lane.

Wake has 8 guys that play heavy minutes and they have a couple of more that will see time, so we have to get something from our bench. It is going to take the Ponies best performance to make this game competitive. Wake is a load and probably a top 5 team. I hope Moody is loud because this is the best team SMU has played in many years.

[Red Horse]

The current Sagerin Rating has Wake as the No. 3 team in the country. I caught the end of the Wake vs. Indiana game about a week ago, and Wake blew them out by about 35 points.

I agree with the previous post - the center is big and rough - out big boys may learn a lesson they can use later by playing this guy. Their point guard is quick and handles the ball well and is a good defender. It could be very interesting watching him vs. Bhop - I hope our guy is bringing his A game.

We will need a very good if not our best performance to stay with them. In the past - coming off of finals our teams have been very lethargic - even in Moody. I hope someone can get this team up so they are sharp and active.

[OldPony]

Wake is definitely the best team we will play this year unless we are good enough to go to the tourney. They may be the best anyway. I've seen them twice and they really show no weaknesses. They are balanced, shoot well from outside, hustle and rebound well. The Ponies will need to shoot lights out, hustle and keep TO's to a minimum or we will be blown out of the gym. If we have an A game, now is time to bring it. A W here would gather national attention and be the biggest thing for SMU sports in a long time.

[Pony_Fan]

I am just hoping to stay within 15 pts and try to be competitive. They are too much for us to handle. We will give up too many 3's and TO's. They are MUCH better than Tech b/c of their big men.

<small>[ 12-09-2003, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: Pony_Fan ]</small>

[SMULLET]

Wake is certainly a top 10-caliber team. However there are a couple things to note; Wake is coming off of a 9 day break (although SMU has a 12 day break). Also, the game following the match up in Moody is at #8 North Carolina. Maybe they’ll have their sights set on UNC and overlook the Ponies.
It’s a shame that most of the students will be out of town for Christmas break, as our crowd played a big role in the win over Tech.

[Red Horse]

My earlier post on this thread probably spent too much time pointing out the merits of Wake. As some of you are pointing out - they are not assured of beating us. That's why they play the game - to see who will win.

I do think it will take an inspired effort for us to win; however, it is certainly possible. I will be bringing 4 or 5 people with me, and I am looking for a win. If we do win, it will be huge for us. We need a dose of confidence and this could be the way to get it.

By the way - Sagerin has Purdue ranked just behind Wake in his index - so if we should get to the championship game with them during their Christmas tournament, that will be another chance to do something great.

I believe that with the talent and depth that we have - these difficult games in the non-conference schedule will prepare us well for the WAC this year.

Go Mustangs.

[OldPony]

I love playing the big boys. No team is unbeatable. Purdue doesn't look nearly as good as Wake but will also be a great challenge. I just hope to listen to a large crowd rather than an empty gym. It says volumes re the casual Dallas basketball fan if we can't draw for Wake after the W over TT.

[Pony_Fan]

The casual fan would be more likely to show if we had regular ticket prices of $24/$10. The $5 promotion is nice but doesn't cover the public. There is a Mavs game that night which takes away a lot of people.

[Red Horse]

More info on Purdue - They beat Duke by 10; Clemson by 14; and Seton Hall by 12. Sagerin currently has them ranked No. 20. Add to that that we will be playing them on their home floor in their tournament.

We will know more about them after tomorrow night in that they play Oklahoma on OU's home floor.

It would certainly help our power index if we can
get a win or come close - let's get the win.

Go Mustangs.

[OldPony]

Does coming close help in the power index? I thought it was all W-L, not like horseshoes.

[Spaz]

Or hand grenades

[SMUFan]

Originally posted by OldPony:
I love playing the big boys. No team is unbeatable....

Darn right! When I was a freshman, I watched SMU knock off then-#3 Florida (with Vernon Maxwell, Dwayne Schintzius and Andrew Moten, for those with a few gray hairs creeping into their scalps/beards -- 1987). As I recall, Todd Alexander hit a ton of 3s that night, and Kato Armstrong was sensational. If we could beat them, we can beat Wake. Just need another sizzling night of shooting from behind the stripe.

[PonyTime]

There is a strong possibility that Vanderbilt will be 11-0 before going into SEC play (after they thump TCU).

Wake? Vandy? Why not SMU THIS YEAR???

The year of the private school!

[TennesseeDeac]

Deacon fan here fellas... What did yall say to Bobby Knight to get him so pissed off at the SMU? My buddy down in Dallas tells me the group sitting right behind the bench is ruthless but Knight usually doesn't lash out at the university and its administration like he did last week. On another topic, we're going to kick the crap out of yall this Monday.