Southern Methodist @ Western Kentucky preview

SMU's trip to the Bahamas has been a two-day roller coaster. With one tough loss and one impressive win already in its pocket, SMU aims to capture fifth place at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament when the Mustangs square off with Western Kentucky on Friday.

The Mustangs fell to Northern Iowa in their tournament opener but rebounded to stifle No. 3 Arizona 66-60 on Friday. Ben Emelogu II scored 20 points for SMU, which forced 20 turnovers to help overcome 31.4 percent shooting. Western Kentucky knocked off No. 16 Purdue on Thursday, one day after giving No. 3 Villanova all it could handle for most of the contest. The Hilltoppers shot 50.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the arc against the Boilermakers, and are certainly capable of pulling off another upset.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT SMU (5-1): In addition to scoring 20 points, Emelogu did not have a turnover Thursday and finished with a crisp 7-of-11 shooting line, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Mustangs needed every one of those shots since the other four starters combined to shoot 12-of-53 from the floor. Shake Milton was 3-of-16 against Arizona and is 8-of-35 from the field, including 1-of-12 from the arc, since arriving in the Bahamas.

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (3-2): The Hilltoppers received a season-high 17 points from senior Justin Johnson in Thursday's 77-73 victory over Purdue, while Taveion Hollingsworth and Jake Ohmer added 15 points apiece. Ohmer, a freshman guard, has been terrific in the Bahamas, shooting 8-of-9 in the two games - 5-of-5 from long distance - while scoring 24 total points. On the other hand, Lamonte Bearden is 3-of-16 from the field in this event and has struggled with his shooting since posting 24 points in the season opener.

TIP-INS

1. Milton is 33-of-36 from the foul line this season.

2. SMU G Jarrey Foster is looking to bounce back from a 2-of-17 shooting effort Thursday.

3. Mustangs F Akoy Agau, who missed the first five games with an infection, debuted with three minutes of playing time Thursday and committed two fouls.

PREDICTION: SMU 69, Western Kentucky 60