Preview: SMU opens AAC play vs. Charlotte
Charlotte (6-6) at SMU (9-4)
8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Moody Coliseum
TV: (ESPN2)
Click HERE to join the live SMU-Charlote game thread on the On The Pony Express message board.
About SMU: The Mustangs could be dealing with some rust in this American Athletic Conference opener. They haven’t played since Dec. 22 (11 days), a 92-65 victory at Murray State. SMU has won its last three games and done so convincingly. The Mustangs have won those by an average of 24.7 points. In their four losses to Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Dayton and Arizona State, the Mustangs have fallen by a combined 25 points.
SMU has been a decent shooting team at 46.7 percent and respectable from the arc at 36.7. The foul line is the issue at 66.2. They average 76.4 points per game but have broken 80 five times. While Zhuric Phelps leads this team in scoring at 14.8 ppg, he’s basically a volume shooter at 39.7 percent from the floor and 24.1 from 3-point range.
Butler transfer Chuck Harris has been as advertised. He’s 47.7 percent from the field, 44.6 from the arc and 81.3 from the foul line. SMU’s 3-point defense has been excellent this year. Opponents are converting at just 25.8 percent.
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About Charlotte: Aaron Fearne is in his first full year as Charlotte’s head coach. He was the interim in 2022-23. The 49ers last played Friday, a 79-75 loss to Stetson. They also played at Duke on Dec. 9 and lost 80-56. They have faced several A10 teams in Davidson (lost, 85-81), George Mason (54-49) and Richmond (lost, 64-56).
Charlotte was picked 13th in the AAC preseason poll. The 49ers shoot it solid overall at 46.7 percent but not so great from the arc at 31.7. However, they are very good at the free throw line at 76.2. They are led by guard Lu’Cye Patterson who is averaging 13.7 points per game. Meanwhile 6-10 junior forward Igor Milicic, who is from Croatia, is averaging 12.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting 51.6 percent from the field. They like to make things a half-court game as they average 68.7 points.
