The SMU men's basketball team was as close to full strength as its been so far this season in Monday night's win against UNC Greensboro.

There were flashes of what the Mustangs could be through the first two games, but the addition of 7-foot-2 Turkish freshman Samet Yiğitoğlu after he was cleared by the NCAA and the return of Matt Cross after playing in just one minute of the season opener opens things up even more.

"We're very deep. We have a lot of different lineups we can put out there," SMU head coach Andy Enfield said. "We can play big and small and in between, and we just have to keep getting better as a group and learning different positions on the floor."

And while Yiğitoğlu isn't quite in full game shape and Cross is still recovering, the picture is starting to come together.

"Samet and Matt are both physical players... they're very strong, physical guys that give us a different dynamic offensively and defensively." Enfield said. "We can post them up, but they can also play in the perimeter, as you saw. Samet's a very good passer, has very good feet and hands for guy his size and the Matt is a very smart player."

They joined a lineup that has been strong at the guard positions so far this season. Boopie Miller scored 21 points and became the first SMU player to score at least 20 in three straight games since the 2021-22 season, B.J. Edwards had 17 points, seven rebounds and is averaging four steals so far this season while Chuck Harris scored nine and is averaging over 13 points per game so far.

Now, they add more inside presence to Yohan Traore and Keon Ambrose-Hylton.

"It was amazing," Miller said on adding Yiğitoğlu. "We're gonna keep working on him, he's gonna keep getting better day-by-day and game-by-game. Just his first game back, I don't know what he got on stats, but I feel like he played good. I feel like he can talk more on defense like that, so he's coming along. We're gonna be a team with him."

While he was waiting to be cleared to play in games, Yiğitoğlu was still able to practice and work out with the team. What he showed on the court Monday night is only the tip of a very big iceberg.

"He's a great passer, as well," Edwards added. "You guys didn't see that (Monday) that much, but in practice, he can catch it on the post, kick out, got a good hook shot. It's a lot of stuff that he hasn't shown y'all, but it's going to be a good year for him."

What the Mustangs did get to see on Monday night was better competition. After beating its first two opponents by 34 and 29 points, SMU had to make some in-game adjustments, make a push and then hold on to win.

"It was a good test for us," Enfield said. "Greensboro made us work for everything and they were very effective in certain things they did. They're very well coached, so I think they're a good basketball team. I think they won 20 games last year. So this was a challenge for us and we had to play well to win this game."

It's a new conference for almost everybody on the team, including Cross who hasn't played in the ACC since the beginning of his career. But Miller played in the ACC just last year and he likes what he sees from the Mustangs so far.

"It feels good with guys coming back," Miller said. "When we get our full team, I think we have great potential. For me being ACC last year, with everybody on the floor, with everybody back, I think we're going to be a great team."

Part of what gives the Mustangs the potential to be a great team is the depth. But it's also that they're built to play complementary basketball. 

That will be put to the test Friday night in Indiana, and then often as SMU plays its inaugural season in the ACC.

"Everybody has different strengths and, as a coaching staff, we're trying to mesh this group together, have them play with an enthusiasm knowing that they have really good teammates and scoring is not everything," Enfield said. "They have to help make winning basketball plays. And for the first three games, they've done that. And now we go to Butler on Friday, and competition gets a little stiffer in a road game against a Big East team."