East Carolina @ Southern Methodist preview
Moody Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2020 ) East Carolina 64, Southern Methodist 84
SMU and East Carolina will put their undefeated seasons on the line Wednesday night in Dallas when they meet in their American Athletic Conference openers.
The Mustangs (4-0) are coming off a 66-64 win at Dayton on Dec. 5. Emmanuel Bandoumel went the length of the floor and hit a short running jumper with 0.2 seconds left to lift SMU.
The Pirates (5-0) have started the season with five wins for the first time since 2012. East Carolina needed a late surge to remain undefeated, scoring the final seven points in a 73-67 victory over North Florida on Dec. 10.
SMU is receiving votes in The Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll for the second straight week. The Mustangs have been ranked or have received votes in seven of the past eight seasons.
As COVID-19 continues to change the landscape of college athletics, the Mustangs are learning on the fly. Against Dayton, they learned a lot and came away with a big win on the road.
"By now, you'd have a great sense of direction, but we're slowly learning," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said after the Dayton game. "And games like this really help."
The Mustangs have four players averaging double figures in scoring: Kendric Davis (21.3), Ethan Chargois (14.5), Bandoumel (14.3) and Feron Hunt (13.3).
SMU leads the AAC in scoring per game (89), field-goal percentage (48), 3-point percentage (38.5), assists (19.3 pg) and made 3-pointers (8.8 pg).
Jayden Gardner posted his second consecutive double-double to lead East Carolina past North Florida, recording a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. J.J. Miles went 3 for 3 behind the arc en route to 16 points, and Brandon Suggs added 10 points.
Things will get tougher with the beginning of the league schedule, and East Carolina coach Joe Dooley said his players will be ready.
"Big week this week getting started with conference play," Dooley said. "SMU, terrific opponent. Probably the best offensive team in the league. Very balanced; our guys are going to have to be ramped up and ready to go."
--Field Level Media