Everything Andy Enfield said after SMU beat Alabama State

SMU Basketball head coach Andy Enfield spoke with the media after the Mustangs took down Alabama State in Moody Coliseum, 101-72.

Opening statement: “Big week here at SMU, volleyball team going to host two games on Thursday, Friday. We have our first ACC basketball game in SMU history Saturday. Our soccer team has an Elite Eight hosting, which is incredible. And then our football team is in the ACC championship. So what a big week for SMU athletics. Congratulations to the other teams. It’s really special. We follow them, but we have a big game on Saturday. Our first ACC game against Virginia. 

On performance versus Alabama State: “I thought we started the game out a little sluggish defensively. We had some offensive rebounds and then they made some tough shots. We tightened our defense up the last ten minutes of the first half and then played pretty well the second half. So really happy with our sharing the basketball. We had seven players in double figures, which I think is a first for us. And we shared the ball and played pretty hard, especially the last 30 minutes of the game. 

On Boopie’s game:  “Well, he’s been a big time player for a leading scorer and he used his assist. So he was not one of the seven guys in double figures, which was a little surprising, but he missed some wide open threes in the first half. And what we learned is you have to play the right way for 40 minutes. He took a couple tough layups in the second half where he was contested. He probably should have passed it. But then when he did start to pass, he had five assists and played really well. So we’re not concerned about Boopie. He’s a terrific basketball player and we’ll make those open shots on Saturday.” 

On Boopie Miller’s floor leadership for SMU: “Yeah, he’s a competitor and we didn’t expect anything differently. But he played great in the desert, was the MVP of that tournament for us. And he just had an off night shooting the ball tonight. So we love his leadership and he leads by example.” 

On defensive performance: “Well, they only made three in the second half, which was good. They made 10 in the first half. Like I said, the last three they took, one was from 28, 30 feet with a hand in his face. So our players started to adjust and really challenge and run them off the three point line. If they didn’t shoot, they had to shoot over us. They made a few of them. But that’s the key when you play a team that you have a size advantage. They try to spread you out. Use your quickness, use your shooting ability because the three point line could be a great equalizer to size if you’re making threes all game and the first half they did that.” 

On SMU’s growth since Game 1: “Well, the first couple of games we didn’t have Matt Cross. He was injured, he was out for about… almost two weeks. Samet wasn’t playing at the time, he was not eligible. So it was really nice to have Matt even when we played Butler. Matt was not healthy, he tried to play. Didn’t play very well and Samet was just getting acclimated. So we’re a different team right now than we were earlier in the season. Better team, we’ve improved in a lot of areas. But this team still has a big upside, we can still improve and I think they had never played together, they’d never been under pressure together, never had a close game together until recently, so they’re starting to learn and figure things out. I thought the tournament in Palm Springs was terrific because we had a really close game the first game and had to grind it out. Last possession in Washington State, we were down at a halftime. We’re not playing, we missed 14 layups in the first half. And then came out and just really defended and started, won by 17. So I think this team is learning how to play together. And once you go through a couple of games that you have to defend, and it’s very intense, you grow from that.” 

On feelings about the team heading into ACC play: “We feel great. We think our team’s improved. We understand what it takes to win as a group. And we also understand how good Virginia is and how talented and well coached they are. And they’ve been one of the best programs in the ACC the last 10, 15 years. And so we know we have our hands full Saturday, but we feel great. We’re playing confident basketball, and we’re playing pretty well.” 

On the keys to taking down Virginia: “Well, I think we’re second or first in the ACC in scoring. And we like to push the pace and spread the floor and really feel it. Try to get a great shot quickly or early in the offense, but take a great shot. Virginia is more methodical and they play at a slower pace, but very efficient, very good. So there’s a lot of ways to try to win a college basketball game, and there’ll be probably two different styles on Saturday.” 

On SMU’s versatility and depth: “Guess we’ll find out. We did it against Washington State. We held them to 60 points and that was a very physical and tough second half and I’m very proud of our players. We defended at the highest level we have all season in that second half and were able to win by 17 after being down four at halftime. So to answer your question, we just did that in the desert, but every team you play is a little different style and Virginia is certainly different than us.” 

On the Washington State ending as a microcosm of the team’s ability:  “Well, it starts with defense. Our offense is ahead of our defense, and has been. We’re very talented. You have seven guys in double figures tonight. And we’re scoring 90 points a game. So our offense… and we’re sharing the ball. We only had eight turnovers tonight, so there’s many possessions that we’ve created. We only have eight turnovers, which is pretty good. I thought we really took care of the ball. Washington State, I think we had one or two turnovers in the second half when the game was on the line. We had to be efficient. I think we scored eight of our last ten possessions. So we have grown in certain areas. But we have some things we have to clean up defensively. We know because we’re big, we start a big line up that sometimes quicker teams have an advantage with us getting in the lane or getting downhill towards the rim and then we have to rotate, we have to help. But that’s our decision to go big. And what that has done in the last few games, we’ve been very dominant on the rebounding and the backboard and in the paint. I think we doubled, I think we had a 20-plus rebound advantage against Washington State. Tonight we had a 22-point rebounding advantage. So like I said, there’s a lot of ways to try to win a college basketball game. And we start a big lineup and then sometimes we go small and move back to the four and play a little smaller with four guards.” 

On Kario Oquendo’s hot streak for SMU: 

“Well, they called a play for him and he shot and he made it. So as long as that thing goes in, he has a green light. But he was spectacular in that stretch, yeah, really fun to watch. He’s improved a lot. He’s improved. If he tried to take a charge tonight, he tried to take a charge last game. He hasn’t gotten one yet, but they keep calling him a block, you found. But I don’t think he ever has taken. He’s never been credited with a charge in his career, so I’m just joking. But I’m guessing. But I’m really proud of him because he’s making an effort to affect the game. Forget about the scoring, playing defense, rebounding. Trying to be an early help on defense and running the floor. He’s doing the little things that make us a good team.”

On Matt Cross’s development since his return from injury: “Well, he’s started to play really good basketball. That’s why he had double-digit rebounds last week as well. And he had seven offensive rebounds against Washington State. And that’s just huge. He gives us extra possessions, especially in a close game like that, as it was for most of the game. And so he’s a lead rebounder. And he’s starting to get a feel of playing inside and outside, because most of his career he’s been very comfortable 12 feet and in. And trying to back guys down, use his size. And now we’re demanding him to start on the wing and play at the three-point line. But you play inside and outside and he’s done a really good job of trying to figure that out, has improved.” 

On SMU’s pace of play: “Yeah, that’s what we try to do and when you play fast, you can’t turn the ball over. Like tonight, we had eight turnovers, which is outstanding. But you also can’t take bad, quick rush shots that are contested. So we want to play as fast as we can but work for the best shot possible. And so even if we have a wide open three after three seconds, we’ll take it. If we have a drive to the basket, so we don’t care when that is in the shot clock, but we have to try to work for the best shot possible and where we’ve struggled this year offensively is when we take tough contested shots either driving in the lane and flipping, like we missed 12 layups in the first half against Washington State. And some of those were tough shots. And so we just have to keep working and push the pace as well as we can. But we also understand what we’re playing within the system. But when it’s time to slow down and get your big guys the ball, you have to do that as well.”

On playing the hot hand: “Yeah, that comes from teammates understanding what’s happening on the floor. I thought our guys recognized Samet and then Kario. And Chuck had called two straight plays for Kario when he had it rolling and he scored two more times. And so it’s really the guys on the court that can recognize that. I thought the same thing with Samet, where we had gone to him. He scored a couple of times, got fouled in transition. We threw the ball to him two more times and so it was good to see our guys recognize who was hot at the right time.” 

On the depth of contributions in scoring for SMU: “You have seven guys in double figures is very rare and very proud of our players for sharing the basketball and we have talented scorers on our team. As I said our offense and then our defense, if you look at the efficiency and the national numbers and within the league, we score the ball at a pretty high rate. Defensively, we have to keep improving, but to know that as a coach you have options, you don’t have to run the same plays for two guys the whole game, you have the ability to mix it up and I think it’s harder to guard that way.”