The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 95 is SMU basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of SMU basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 2
- Sweet 16s: 6
- NCAA wins: 10
- Bids: 13
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.4
- Bids per season: 0.12
- AP Polls: 78
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 2
- NBA players drafted & played: 12
- Conference Players of the Year: 11
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 15
- Conference tournament titles: 3
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on SMU basketball
Now in the ACC, SMU has already shown it can compete at the Power 5 level. The Mustangs made the NCAA Tournament last season, competing in the First Four. While their current level of play is more than before, the history is still very good.
The Mustangs have been to the big dance 13 times, reaching six Sweet 16s in 1955, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1966, and 1967. In 1967, their run ended in the Elite 8. But it was the 1956 run that stands alone, with their only Final Four in program history.
In that 1955-56 season, the Mustangs finished 25-4, going undefeated in conference play in the Southwest Conference. Jim Krebs starred on a team that featured five players all averaging double digits in points per game. And SMU would run past their part of the country, defeating Texas Tech, Houston, and Oklahoma City, before falling to San Francisco and Bill Russell in the national semis.
While that team made history, it was head coach Doc Hayes making decades of history, as SMU’s coach from 1947-67. He brought them to all six of their Sweet 16s and led them to eight regular season titles in the SWC. Hayes’ record was a modest 298-191, but he was a legend for the program.
After Hayes left on a high note with an Elite 8 in 1967, the program suffered, not making it back to the NCAA Tournament until 1984. Head coach Dave Bliss went on a bit of a run with the Mustangs, leading them to the tourney again in 1985 and 1988. All three appearances ended in the round of 32.
SMU’s latest run has been thanks to a few coaches. Larry Brown took the post in 2012, eventually leading SMU to a 27-7 record in 2014-15, also stopping a skid of over 20 years of not making the big dance. However, Brown would be suspended in 2015-16 due to NCAA academic violations, going 16-5, with Tim Jankovich going 9-0 in replace of him. Brown resigned, but it worked out great for the Mustangs. Jankovich would lead them to a ridiculous 30-5 record the next season, going back to the tournament. The following eight seasons never led to March Madness bids, but SMU still stayed relevant, mostly in the American Athletic Conference.
Obviously, being in the ACC is huge for a program that has had some great history and stayed competitive after their golden days. With Andy Enfield leading the way, the Mustangs hope to continue to win, but also churn out talent. In recent years, some solid NBA players have come out of Dallas, including Shake Milton and Semi Ojeleye. They might not be the cream of the crop in Power 5 hoops, but SMU is definitely relevant, and that’s not a bad thing for a former high-major not at the highest level.