Written by Ryan Palencer at The Comeback
With the carnage that Larry Brown has left at another program, the best that one of the top teams in the nation can do this season is play the role of spoiler.
SMU, off a 24-point beatdown of a solid Michigan team Tuesday night, is basically playing for pride this season — well, pride and a future payday.
After a second-place finish in the 2014 NIT, everything was bright for the Mustangs. However, their 2015 NCAA Tournament ended early, thanks to a very unfortunate (but correct) goaltending call in the final seconds of a loss to UCLA. This current generation of SMU players could easily lack motivation, given the NCAA tournament ban in place for next March. However, the Mustangs aren’t sulking through their season — they want to prove a point to the nation.
Much of this is because SMU has a roster loaded with high-caliber players who may have a professional future. Without Markus Kennedy for much of the game Tuesday night, SMU still made Michigan look like a JV squad. Kennedy left the game early without a single point or rebound, but it didn’t matter.
Instead, it was reload rather than rebuild, as Texas Tech transfer Jordan Tolbert became an unstoppable force inside. For the season, Tolbert is shooting 64.3 percent from the floor, while grabbing over eight rebounds per game off the bench, so Tuesday night was not a one-time fluke.
The Ponies are led by point guard Nic Moore, who picked up 15 points and seven assists on Tuesday. Moore is the heart and soul of the team and sets the table well for a high-powered offense, while having the ability to freelance and score when needed. He has deep shooting range and is actually shooting at a higher percentage behind the arc than inside it. His 4.5-assists-per-game average, compared to 1.7 turnovers, shows that he should be trusted with the ball at all times.
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