SMU Basketball Meets Its Measuring Stick Tuesday Against Aggies

Texas A&M much larger, stronger on boards than teams Lanier's Mustangs have faced so far

DALLAS – It's been a while since a game as big as Tuesday's showdown with No. 13 Texas A&M came to Moody Coliseum.

The last time SMU played an SEC school at home, it went well. The Mustangs took down Vanderbilt, 84-72, back in December of 2021 and used it as a springboard to post a 24-9 record capped with a berth in the NIT. 

Still, beating a Commodores team that finished the season essentially .500 is much different than staring down a dark horse pick for the NCAA championship. Texas A&M falls between Tennessee and perennial Elite 8 qualifier Arkansas at No. 2 in the SEC media poll and brings Wade Taylor, the preseason SEC Player of the Year to town with it.

The Aggies come to Dallas riding the high of having gone into Columbus and knocked off an Ohio State team that began the season just outside the Top 25 in the Coaches' Poll, 73-66. A&M coach Buzz Williams watched as three players put up at least 20 points, almost single-handedly taking down the Buckeyes by themselves. 

Along with Taylor's 21, guard Tyrece Radford added 21 of his own, while forward Henry Coleman scored 20 to go along with 11 rebounds. At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Coleman presents a huge threat inside. 

Both Samuel Williamson and Tyreek Smith have dominated inside against smaller opponents so far this year for SMU and are as tall as Coleman, but each will give up significant weight. Williamson is 40 pounds lighter. Smith matches up better, only giving up 20 pounds, but that's still a lot. In addition, while Williamson leads the pair in minutes, Smith leads in points, rebounds and blocks this season. All things considered, it wouldn't be surprising to see Smith get called on more Tuesday night than last week when he only averaged 18 minutes per game.

"Our team is built such that no matter where we play, we have to win on the offensive glass and we have to win on the defensive glass," Williams said. "And if we do those things, potentially it's a low turnover rate for us because that means we got up enough shots to beat that team on the offensive glass."

However, both Williams and SMU coach Rob Lanier try to force the game to tip their way through free throws. The morning after A&M's big road win Williams discussed how much he preaches to his team the need to make more free throws than the Aggies' opponent attempts. 

However, that's going to be hard. Lanier coaches a style that stresses attacking the basket and drawing fouls. SMU averaged over 30 free throws per game last week, and that's with tired legs from playing game three out of four nights. Against Lamar Thursday night, the Mustangs shot 28-of-38 from the free throw line and had three players who drew five fouls each.

One area that will require a breaking point is the turnover situation. Williams said one concern he has about his team is getting sped up too much, which often leads to mistakes and turnovers. So far, the Aggies have managed to play within themselves, which has allowed Texas A&M to keep turnovers at a minimum, averaging only 8.5 turnovers per game.

However, Tuesday night, it will be difficult to remain in such control. SMU prides itself in creating out of control situations that lead to easy turnovers. Lanier's demand for defensive improvement allowed the Mustangs to force 52 turnovers in Week 1, which created numerous fast break opportunities. 

The game will be a white out for SMU fans, which should look rather impressive given the ticket sales for the game. Those who were unable to get a ticket can watch on ESPN+ or listen on 770 AM. And on a side note, congratulations to Mike Smith, the winner of our giveaway of two tickets to the game.

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PONY EXPRESS:

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DFW AREA 4-STAR PROSPECT BECOMES FIRST SIGNEE SPECIFICALLY FOR ACC PLAY AT SMU

BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR ROB LANIER'S MUSTANGS, FACING LAMAR AND TEXAS A&M NEXT WEEK

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