How to watch: SMU faces West Virginia in Fort Myers Tip-Off

SMU (3-1) vs West Virginia (2-1)
Monday, November 20, 2023 – 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: FS1
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Audio Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SMU vs [rv/25] Virginia or [rv/rv] Wisconsin
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 – 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT or 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: FS1
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Audio Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
SMU Stats | Virginia or Wisconsin | American

The Mustangs face West Virginia in the semifinal of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday. SMU will face [rv/25] Virginia or [rv/rv] Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Mustangs have won two in-season tournaments in the past eight seasons, the 2015-16 Las Vegas Classic and 2019-20 Southwestern Showdown, and played in the championship of two other in-season events including last year’s Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

The Mustangs are 3-1, opening the season with a four-game homestand. SMU won the first three games by  an average of 22.3 points over SAGU (82-63), Western Illinois (90-53) and Lamar (78-67). The first loss came to [13/15] Texas A&M, 79-66, on Tuesday.

The Mustangs have five scorers averaging at least eight points in Chuck Harris (14.3), Zhuric Phelps (13.5), Tyreek Smith (10.3), Keon Ambrose-Hylton (8.5) and Emory Lanier (8.0). Smith is leading in rebounds (7.5) followed by Samuell Williamson (7.0) and Ambrose-Hylton (6.7) and Williamson (6.0). B.J. Edwards has team bests of 2.8 steals and 5.0 assists per game (20 assists / 4 turnovers) while also grabbing 5.0 rebounds. SMU is averaging 11.0 steals (30th NCAA), 5.8 blocked shots (1st AAC, 37th NCAA), 17.0 offensive rebounds (1st AAC, 19th NCAA) and 18.0 fastbreak points (47th NCAA).

The Mustangs return three starters in Zhuric Phelps (preseason All-AAC Second Team), Samuell Williamson and Jalen Smith plus a transfer class ranked as high as No. 2 in The American. In August of 2023, the Mustangs went on a 10-day trip to Spain, going 3-0 with games in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

MUSTANGS GO 3-0 IN SPAIN: SMU men’s basketball finished 3-0 on its three-game exhibition tour in Spain. The Mustangs won 88-77 in Madrid, 125-66 in Valencia and 92-60 in Barcelona. For the three games, the Mustangs shot 50.2% from the field, averaged 15.7 steals and had a plus-21.7 rebound margin (55.7-34.0).

2022-23 IN REVIEW: SMU finished 10-22 in the first season under Head Coach Rob Lanier, playing 14 games decided by six points or less (5-9). The Mustangs played in the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, falling to Hawaii 58-57 on a buzzer-beater.

Zhuric Phelps earned an AAC Player of the Week honor, three AAC Weekly Honor Roll nods and Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team. Samuell Williamson earned one AAC Weekly Honor Roll.

Zhuric Phelps averaged a team-best 17.5 points (6th AAC). Phelps also averaged 3.2 assists (11th AAC) and 2.3 steals (1st AAC, 16th NCAA). Zach Nutall was second for the Mustangs scoring 13.2 per game (19th AAC). He made 2.0 threes per game (13th AAC). Efe Odigie added 11.3 points, Samuell Williamson 9.3 per game. Williamson led the Mustangs at 7.3 rebounds (6th AAC) followed by Odigie at 6.9 (9th AAC). Odigie and Williamson each had six double-doubles (T-6th AAC). Williamson averaged 1.4 steals (11th AAC) and 0.8 blocks per game (14th AAC). 

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS: SMU is averaging 46.0 rebounds with a +8.5 margin. The 17.0 offensive rebounds per game leads the AAC and is 19th nationally (through Nov. 14). Four Mustangs are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds with Tyreek Smith at 7.5, Samuell Williamson at 7.0, Keon Ambrose-Hylton at 6.0 and B.J. Edwards at 5.0. Tyreek Smith is grabbing 4.3 offensive rebounds (3rd AAC, 32nd NCAA) followed by Keon Ambrose-Hylton at 3.3 (8th AAC).

THE SCHEDULE: The non-conference schedule is highlighted by home games against Dayton and [13/15] Texas A&M, road match-ups with Arizona State and Florida State plus the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off with West Virginia, [rv/rv] Wisconsin and [rv/25] Virginia. SMU will play five AAC opponents twice: ECU, [rv/rv] Memphis, North Texas, Tulane and UAB. The Mustangs will play home games only against Charlotte, Temple, Tulsa and UTSA, and play road games only versus [10/10] Florida Atlantic, Rice, South Florida and Wichita State. The American Men’s Basketball Championship is March 13-17 (Wednesday-Sunday) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

ZHURIC PHELPS NBA DRAFT: On April 12, Zhuric Phelps announced he would enter the NBA Draft and maintain his collegiate eligibility. On May 24, he announced he would withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to SMU for his junior season.

PORTAL POWER: 247 Sports ranked SMU as the No. 42 transfer class and the No. 2 class in the American Athletic Conference (Memphis). The transfers included two ranked as four-star (B.J. Edwards – Tennessee, Chuck Harris – Butler) and three as three-star (Denver Anglin – Georgetown, Ja’Heim Hudson – Georgia State, Tyreek Smith – Oklahoma State) additions.

MEN OF STEALS: The Mustangs are averaging 11.0 steals through 4 games (30th NCAA through 11/14). SMU recorded 17 in the win over Western Illinois on Nov. 8, which is tied for third in program history. Ten different Mustangs have a steal this season, led by B.J. Edwards (11), Zhuric Phelps (8) and Chuck Harris (7).

STEALING THE SHOW: Zhuric Phelps has 103 career steals, which is 24th at SMU. He had 68 steals in 2022-23, averaging 2.3 per game (1st AAC, 16th NCAA). That was fifth in a season at SMU. Phelps had a career-high 7 steals at Wichita State on Feb. 12, which tied for third in a game at SMU and was the most since Nic Moore had 7 vs Texas Southern 11/26/2014. Phelps also had 6 at Tulsa on Jan. 18 as well as 5 against Cincinnati on Jan. 14 and five at USF on Feb. 25.

2022-23 AAC HONORS – ZHURIC PHELPS (POTW DEC. 26, HONOR ROLL NOV 28, FEB. 13, FEB. 20): Zhuric Phelps was named to the Feb. 20 AAC Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals in games against [2/2] Houston and the win over ECU. That made it back-to-back honors after being on the Feb. 13 AAC Weekly Honor Roll following 22.5 points, 5.5 steals, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in two games. He hit the game-winning free throw in the 72-71 win against Temple. Phelps was named the AAC Player of the Week on Dec. 26 after averaging 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, earning all-tournament honors. His first AAC Weekly Honor Roll was Nov. 28 after averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in two games. Phelps has four career AAC Weekly Honor. He was the conference’s Freshman of the Week on Dec. 13, 2021. SAMUELL WILLIAMSON  (HONOR ROLL JAN. 2): Samuell Williamson was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 2. He had 17 points with 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocked shots and a steal in the 92-67 AAC-opening win over Tulsa on New Year’s Day.

LAST GAME (L, 79-66 vs [13/15] Texas A&M on Nov. 14): DALLAS (AP) — Tyrece Radford scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half, Henry Coleman III had 13 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 13 Texas A&M beat SMU 79-66 on Tuesday night in a meeting of old Southwest Conference foes. Wade Taylor IV, the Aggies’ leading scorer, had 15 points as the Aggies (3-0) won. Chuck Harris scored 21 points and Zhuric Phelps had 13 for the Mustangs (3-1), who were hosting the Aggies at Moody Coliseum for the first time since 2009. It was the fifth meeting between the schools since the SWC’s final season in 1995-96, and Texas A&M beat SMU for the second year in a row. Radford punctuated his big first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap an 8-2 run for a 39-32 lead. The Mustangs had trimmed a 12-point second-half deficit to four when Coleman, who tied his career high rebounds, grabbed a loose ball under the basket, made the shot and was fouled. Coleman’s free throw put the Aggies up 57-50 with 8 1/2 minutes to go, and Texas A&M eventually restored its double-digit lead. Taylor, who scored 11 points after the break, was 4 of 17 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point shots. The Mustangs got off to a great start from 3-point range and finished 10 of 23. 

UP NEXT: After the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off, the Mustangs play three straight home games. THe homestand begins with ULM on Nov. 26, then Dayton on Nov. 29 and concludes with Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 3. SMU follows with road tests at Arizona State on Dec. 6 and Florida State on Dec. 16.

THE SERIES VS WEST VIRGINIA (0-0): First Meeting

THE SERIES VS VIRGINIA (0-1): The programs only previously met in the semifinals of the 2013-14 Corpus Christi Challenge, with Virginia winning 76-73.

LAST MEETING VS VIRGINIA (L, 76-73 vs Virginia – Nov. 29, 2013): CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — Anthony Gill made several buckets in the second half and finished with 19 points to lead Virginia (6-1) over SMU 76-73 in the semifinals of the Corpus Christi Challenge. Gill scored 12 points down the stretch to lead the Cavaliers to a 7-point lead with 5:05 remaining. SMU responded with baskets in the paint, the last a Yanick Moreira lay-in on a feed from Markus Kennedy. Moreira was fouled by Joe Harris on the play, and the made free throw drew the lead to 74-73. Keith Frazier stole the ball from Virginia as they tried to kill the clock, but Moreira was called for travelling with 2.0 seconds left. On the in-bounds play, Harris was fouled and made both shots.

THE SERIES VS WISCONSIN (3-4): SMU won the first two meetings, lost four straight, then won the most recent matchup. THe first meeting was a 75-62 road win on Dec. 12, 1955. The most recent was also a road win in Madison, 66-64, on Dec. 3, 1991.

LAST MEETING VS WISCONSIN (W, 66-64 at Wisconsin – Dec. 3, 1991): MADISON, Wisc. – Mike Wilson had a game-high 21 points, including the game-winning shot with 6 second left, as SMU pulled out a 66-64 victory at Wiscosin. Troy Dorner and Gerald Lewis each added 10 points while Greg Kinzer had a game-high 9 rebounds. Michael Finley and Carlton McGee led the Badgers with 13 points each. SMU had a 33-27 rebound advantage as both teams shot 50% (SMU 29-58, UW 27-54). 

Editor’s Note: SMU press release.