South Florida @ Southern Methodist preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2019 ) Southern Methodist 77, South Florida 71

SMU hopes to kick off the 2020 portion of its schedule with a sixth straight victory in an American Athletic Conference season opener when it entertains South Florida on Wednesday. The Mustangs began the season with eight consecutive wins before dropping games against Georgetown (91-74) and Georgia (87-85, two OTs), but responded with an 85-76 triumph versus Georgia State on Dec. 23 before Christmas break.

“We’re still not the team that we can become,” SMU coach Tim Jankovich told 247sports.com. “There’s a lot of room for improvement. I hope we are good at accelerating that, but I like our team, I like a lot of things going on.” The Mustangs, who were picked to finish eighth in the AAC’s preseason poll, boast four players averaging at least 14 points and are holding opponents to 39.1 percent shooting from the field while outrebounding them by 8.5 per contest. The Bulls lost 2018-19 AAC Freshman of the Year Alexis Yetna to a season-ending knee injury before the first game and have been inconsistent, but pulled out a 60-58 victory over Florida Atlantic on Sunday without leading scorer David Collins to sneak back over .500. “We didn’t play great today, but the grit and the toughness, and facing adversity and the way we finished it, was every bit as important to how well you played,” USF coach Brian Gregory told reporters. “It speaks for where we’re at and what our guys believe in.”

TIME: 5 p.m. ET, TV: ESPNU

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (7-6): The Bulls hope to have Collins, a junior guard averaging 15.2 points, back for the AAC opener after sitting out the final non-conference game along with senior center Antun Maricevic (ankle) and sophomore forward Rashun Williams (leg). Senior guard Laquincy Rideau is the only other player averaging in double figures scoring for USF (12.8) while leading the team in assists (4.1) and is among the national leaders in steals (2.69). Sophomore guard Ezacuras Dawson III, an Oklahoma State transfer, stepped up with a season-high 18 points in the win over Florida Atlantic.

ABOUT SMU (9-2): Junior forward Isiaha Mike has led a balanced offense through the first 11 games with 16.2 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting, shares the team lead in rebounding (7.9) and tops the Mustangs in steals (1.6). Sophomore guard Kendric Davis runs the show, averaging 7.3 assists in the seven games in which he has played, and contributes 15.4 points per contest while junior guard Tyson Jolly contributes 15.2 points and 51.8 percent shooting. Sophomore forward Feron Hunt has also been a factor, averaging 14.4 points and matching Mike at 7.9 boards per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. South Florida junior forward Justin Brown adds 8.2 points per game and leads the team with 23 made 3-pointers.

2. The Mustangs lead the league in free-throw shooting percentage (78.6) and Mike tops the AAC at 88.9.

3. SMU leads the all-time series 10-5 after the teams split last season with both road squads taking victories home.

PREDICTION: SMU 76, South Florida 68