Three Year Review: SMU Has Been Really Good

[Huskybass]

Do you mean a market that couldn't care less about basketball?? If so, you have no clue about Dallas.

Football will probably alway rule Texas but to suggest the market of Dallas doesn't care about hoops is one of the most ignorant sports claims ever. Dallas, and Houston, consistantly produce as many D1 basketball players as any markets outside of NYC and Chicago. The Mavs just this year ended the longest sellout streak in major professional sports at 600+ games. A few years ago the NBA Sll-Star was at Jerry World and nearly 100,000 showed up. So yeah, I guess the market doesn't care about basketball.

As far as SMU goes, Dallas doesn't care about SMU sports for the most part because Dallas is a pro sports town. The only way SMU gets attention is by winning, and winning against schools that people care about like UConn, Cincy and Memphis. That's why people in Dallas started to take notice when we hired the Legend. He changed everything about basketball at this school. This isn't a flash in the pan, the program has staying power. The money has been invested in Moody, the staff and our practice facility. Moody is soldout of season tickets and there is a waiting list. Our 2017 class is better than any LB had and if we land Mike, who is visiting today, we are loaded.

I hope everything you typed is spot on. We need strong siblings to build a strong conference. Gotta start winning some tourney games though(along with UConn). That's when teams get noticed nationally. It would be thrilling as a fan to win a couple tourney games again.

 

[Moody Magic]

I hope everything you typed is spot on. We need strong siblings to build a strong conference. Gotta start winning some tourney games though(along with UConn). That's when teams get noticed nationally. It would be thrilling as a fan to win a couple tourney games again.

No doubt we have to start winning in the tourney to get any national respect. Both loss were heart breaking for our fanbase because we outplayed UCLA and USC. As an SMU fan we haven't had anything to get excited about in football or bball in thirty years except for a few toilet bowl wins under June Jones. Just got to get that tourney monkey off our back next season.

If Semi returns we should be preseason top 20 which would give the AAC three teams in the top 20. The conference needs to get a few big OOC wins. Cincy at UCLA, us against Villanova in the Atlantis tourney, and I'm sure you guys, Wichita St, Temple and Memphis have a few big OOC games too.

 

[mustangxc]

Sorry for forgetting Iowa State... but that is EXACTLY my point Kobe. You are pointing to Iowa State as a signature win. Seriously? A nice win to be sure. And snapping their home winning streak was nice. But beating... or even playing Iowa State is NOT moving the needle!

Go play North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Kansas, Arizona, Syracuse or Maryland out of conference. Or Michigan... or Michigan State. I do not mention Ohio State only because I do not know if you guys have tried to play them and they refuse to do so. Play ANY of those teams on your Out Of Conference schedule and then come talk to me.

Fact is, you guys don't play those teams. We have played them ALL... within the last 5 to 6 years. Or, in Arizona's case, we start a home-and-home with them this coming year, and have played them in home-and homes previously while we were a member of the OBE.

We have certainly under-performed the last 3 years... but at least we are still willing to take on the marquee schools every year. It would be nice if someone... ANYONE.. else in this god-forsaken conference (other than Temple) would do the same.

SMU has played and beaten Gonzaga, Michigan, Colorado, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Texas A&M, TCU
We have also played and lost to Indiana, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Virginia

 

[DoakW]

Keep in mind SMU is having all this success with 3 less scholarships per year than every other team in the country.

 

[LStudfellow]

SMU has played and beaten Gonzaga, Michigan, Colorado, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Texas A&M, TCU
We have also played and lost to Indiana, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Virginia

Andddd... just like Kobe talking about Cincy, you made my point as well. Mustang, the fact that you felt obligated to include: Colorado, Stanford, Pitt, URHigh, Arkansas and 2 Texas schools that receive less recognition than yours for basketball. Sorry, not a blueblood among that group (no, not even Pitt, who has fallen off the face of the basketball landscape. Kind of like we are in danger of doing if we do not turn things around in a hurry). If you look at my list you will notice I did not include: Georgetown, Stanford and teams at that level. I didn't even include Gonzaga, who we played two years ago.

And before you feel the need to defend yourself with the: "At least we have owned you guys lately" mantra... Let me just say I fully acknowledge that both you guys and Cincinnati owned us this year. And SMU has pretty much owned us since this conference was formed - particularly at Moody. And also let me say that this conference and you guys need us to do a heck of a lot better than we have recently. I agree with that, as well.

My point is, which still stands and frankly is unassailable: the best teams in our conference must go out of their way to push and prod the "blue bloods" to play you... and get those games on national TV. Like Cincinnati now scheduling a home and home with UCLA. I say BRAVO!!! It's about freaking time!

This conference needs you, and WE need you to start going after the big dogs. All 3 of us, plus Wichita St. and maybe Temple too (forget Memphis for awhile - the situation there makes what happened recently here at UConn look like a love-in by comparison) Playing that list of schools you mentioned that barely move the needle, if at all? Not good enough any longer.

You guys have strung together some excellent regular seasons over the last 4 years or so... but as you can see for yourself, that alone has not put you guys "on the map" for getting consistent air time on the marquee at ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS or on the talk show circuit. Like Cincinnati, SMU's AD and head coach need to cash in on your recent success to push the blue bloods to schedule you. And be willing to play them any time, any where. Not only for yourselves, but for the good of the entire conference. Unfortunately UConn has carried the mantle of playing the blue bloods almost entirely on their own for the entirety of the 4 years of this conference. This must change, along with more success in the Tournament from someone (anyone!) outside of us for there to be any hope of raising the AAC's profile. And that ultimately should be the goal, as long as we are all stuck here in this conference... Right???

 

[kobe]

I can guarantee you that Cincinnati not playing the so called elite programs is not due to lack of trying. A school like Duke, UNC, UK, etc really doesn't see the value in playing Cincinnati. It's not because they are "scared" (like Mick tries to claim) but because---

Cincinnati is not a good TV draw and the fans don't travel like they used to so neutral site, also called the "Made for TV" games don't have a high priority in considering Cincinnati like they do considering UConn for a game at MSG (where they know you will bring fans and be a TV draw). Therefore it's unlikely UC will get marquee neutral site games.

As for H&H's, again Duke at Cincinnati is not a big deal nationally nor will Duke want to spend an OOC game that they could potentially lose when they already will often get a true road game against a top 25 team in the ACC-Big 10 challenge. If you've noticed the H&H's have almost disappeared entirely off of the blue blood's schedules. They play cupcakes at home, a true road/home game in a conference challenge, and Made For TV neutral site event games (including preseason tourney's like Maui, etc).

Mick has two nice wins over #3 seed Florida State in the NCAA tournament and #2 Syracuse in the Big East Tournament but has failed in opportunities to knock of a true blue blood and spring board the program to national relevance (lost to #2 seed Ohio St, #1 seed Kentucky, #3 seed UCLA, lost to Rhode Island last year and so missed a game with Duke, etc).

 

[Moody Magic]

Andddd... just like Kobe talking about Cincy, you made my point as well. Mustang, the fact that you felt obligated to include: Colorado, Stanford, Pitt, URHigh, Arkansas and 2 Texas schools that receive less recognition than yours for basketball. Sorry, not a blueblood among that group (no, not even Pitt, who has fallen off the face of the basketball landscape. Kind of like we are in danger of doing if we do not turn things around in a hurry). If you look at my list you will notice I did not include: Georgetown, Stanford and teams at that level. I didn't even include Gonzaga, who we played two years ago.

And before you feel the need to defend yourself with the: "At least we have owned you guys lately" mantra... Let me just say I fully acknowledge that both you guys and Cincinnati owned us this year. And SMU has pretty much owned us since this conference was formed - particularly at Moody. And also let me say that this conference and you guys need us to do a heck of a lot better than we have recently. I agree with that, as well.

My point is, which still stands and frankly is unassailable: the best teams in our conference must go out of their way to push and prod the "blue bloods" to play you... and get those games on national TV. Like Cincinnati now scheduling a home and home with UCLA. I say BRAVO!!! It's about freaking time!

This conference needs you, and WE need you to start going after the big dogs. All 3 of us, plus Wichita St. and maybe Temple too (forget Memphis for awhile - the situation there makes what happened recently here at UConn look like a love-in by comparison) Playing that list of schools you mentioned that barely move the needle, if at all? Not good enough any longer.

You guys have strung together some excellent regular seasons over the last 4 years or so... but as you can see for yourself, that alone has not put you guys "on the map" for getting consistent air time on the marquee at ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS or on the talk show circuit. Like Cincinnati, SMU's AD and head coach need to cash in on your recent success to push the blue bloods to schedule you. And be willing to play them any time, any where. Not only for yourselves, but for the good of the entire conference. Unfortunately UConn has carried the mantle of playing the blue bloods almost entirely on their own for the entirety of the 4 years of this conference. This must change, along with more success in the Tournament from someone (anyone!) outside of us for there to be any hope of raising the AAC's profile. And that ultimately should be the goal, as long as we are all stuck here in this conference... Right???

Great post. I completely agree.

 

[willie99]

SMU has played and beaten Gonzaga, Michigan, Colorado, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Texas A&M, TCU
We have also played and lost to Indiana, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Virginia

we have won a national championship for the conference, they have NOT won a single tournament game

there is no debate

 

[Huskybass]

we have won a national championship for the conference, they have NOT won a single tournament game

there is no debate

We haven't won a whole hell of a lot in the last three years, one NCAA Tournament game and no NIT games.

 

[Moody Magic]

Just got our top target as Isiaha Mike commited on his visit today. Cancelled his Oregon trip. #PonyUp