The Sports Bank’s college basketball season previews undergo a face lift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. I’ve already counted down the Pac-12, Big 12, and SEC, and now turn my attention to the already new-look AAC.
The SMU Mustangs controversially had their bubble burst last Selection Sunday but that shouldn’t be a concern this season. Larry Brown’s boys would have been my preseason favorite to win the AAC but losing highly touted recruit Emmanuel Mudiay, who instead chose to play professionally in China, bumps them down a spot.
SMU MUSTANGS
Last Season: T-3rd, 12-6 in AAC, 27-10 overall
Predicted AAC Finish: 2nd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C:Yanick Moriera (Sr)/Cannen Cunningham (Sr)
PF: Markus Kennedy (Jr)/Ben Moore (So)
SF: Justin Martin (Sr)/Sterling Brown (So)
SG: Keith Frazier (So)/Ben Emelogu (So)/Ryan Manuel (Sr)
PG: Nic Moore (So)
Gone: G-Nick Russell, F-Shawn Williams, G/F-Jalen Jones (transfer-Texas A&M), SG-Crandall Head
2014-2015 Outlook:
While Mudiay’s decision to not attend SMU for a year certainly stings, Brown does return an experienced and talented point guard in Nic Moore. The former Illinois State transfer led the Mustangs in scoring and assists and his role is crucial this season since he is the only true point guard on the roster.
Nick Russell’s graduation opens up the opportunity for former McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier to step into a more prominent role specifically as a scorer. Frazier had a rather pedestrian freshman campaign but is a candidate to breakout this season with more minutes. That is assuming he can beat out Ryan Manuel and Sterling Brown for a starting spot which he failed to do last year. Frazier’s offensive ability should give him an edge but with the NCAA’s recent decision to grant Virginia Tech transfer Ben Emelogu immediate eligibility, there will be tremendous competition for playing time on the wing.
Brown picked up a key graduate transfer in former Xavier small forward Justin Martin. The athletic wing is eligible to play right away and adds some versatility to the floor with his inside/outside ability.
Up-front, SMU brings back the physical Markus Kennedy who made a significant impact after transferring in from Villanova. He provides the Mustangs with a low post scorer who knows how to carve out space in the paint. Yanick Moreira missed a decent amount of time last season due to injury but figures to rotate at the five with Cannen Cunningham. Ben Moore looks to build off a solid freshman campaign and adds more depth to the SMU frontcourt.
The Mustangs picked a key transfer in Jordan Tolbert, a power forward from Texas Tech. He must sit out this season but becomes eligible for the 2015-16 campaign.
With only ten scholarship players eligible to suit up this season, SMU needs to stay healthy if they hope to reach their potential especially at the point guard position. If the roster is able to remain in tact throughout the year, the Mustangs should realistically compete for the AAC Championship and unlike last year, hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/17 at Gonzaga
11/20 at Indiana
11/25 vs. Arkansas
12/20 at Michigan
OTHER AAC PREVIEWS:
#7 UCF KNIGHTS
#8 SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS
#9 HOUSTON COUGARS
#10 TULANE GREEN WAVE
#11 EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
SEC PREVIEWS:
#1 KENTUCKY WILDCATS
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.