SMU basketball got off to a promising start in a new era with first-year coach Andy Enfield and as a member of the ACC with a 96-62 victory over Tarleton State on Monday.
The Mustangs will look to keep things trending in that direction as they host Florida A&M on Thursday night in Dallas. It’s a small sample size, but Enfield enjoyed being on the home sidelines at Moody Coliseum for his debut.
“We talked as a staff during the game and just said, âWow, this is a great place to play college basketball,’ ” he said. “Terrific atmosphere. It’s the right size. It has energy. It’s loud and the fan base here is terrific. So, we’re excited.”
The Mustangs should also be excited about the depth they showed in the opener as six players scored in double figures, led by junior guard Boopie Miller’s 21 points. SMU also forced 23 turnovers, turning those into 30 points, and scored 38 points in the paint.
On the injury front, Enfield mentioned after Monday’s game that Miller battled a cramp during the game but “we’ll get some fluids in him and, hopefully, he will be ready by tomorrow.”
Starting forward Matt Cross played just one minute before exiting with back spasms, something Enfield said “hasn’t happened all preseason.” Enfield also mentioned freshman forward Mitchell Holmes as being close to returning after being out with an injury.
Despite the win, Enfield said the Mustangs are still a work-in-progress.
For Florida A&M, it will make the trek to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex after falling 105-59 to TCU on Monday night in Fort Worth.
Despite the lopsided score, Florida A&M closed strong with 37 of its 59 points in the second half against TCU. Senior guard Sterling Young led the Rattlers with 16 points.
First-year coach Patrick Crarey II said on the BCSN GameTime Show that the nonconference season is a way to “learn and really prepare for SWAC play.”
This is the second of four road games to open the season for Florida A&M and the first-ever meeting between the Rattlers and SMU.