ACC Preview #15 – SMU

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Andy Enfield, the coach who built Dunk City at Florida Gulf Coast, enters his third season at SMU at 44-25 (.638). He has one NIT appearance (second round) and last year reached the First Four, where SMU lost to Miami of Ohio, 89-79. 

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This year will test him. 

The Mustangs lost their entire starting lineup — Boopie Miller, Jaron Pierre, B.J. Edwards, Corey Washington, and Samet Yigitoglu — and 72.3 percent of their scoring. 

In a patient program, Enfield would get time. He is a proven offensive coach who took USC to the Elite Eight, only the second Trojan team to get that far since the 1954 Final Four (Henry Bibby’s 2001 team lost to Duke, 79-69). He has done good work at every stop. 

SMU is not a patient program. 

The school fired his predecessor, Rob Lanier, after two seasons even though Lanier went from 10 wins to 20. SMU has money, ambitions, and an ACC membership to justify. When the Mustangs joined the league, Lanier was gone. 

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Enfield is therefore starting over in Year 3. The portal makes that easier than it used to be, but the fan base will not wait long. 

He was hired by Rick Hart, who resigned in 2025 and was replaced by former Maryland AD Damon Evans. Evans left College Park while the Terps were still negotiating with Kevin Willard, a messy episode that became public when Willard said Evans was headed to SMU. Maryland lacked the money — and perhaps the will — to keep Willard, who left soon after Maryland’s NCAA Tournament in 2025.

Evans and Enfield have gotten along so far. The question is what happens if the record slips and donors such as David Miller and the Hunt family grow restless. Will Evans protect his coach the way Tom Butters…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/acc-preview-15-smu-105300908.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-31 10:53:00

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