SMU (15-7, 6-3 AAC) at Rice (9-13, 3-6 AAC)
Tudor Fieldhouse – Houston, Texas
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Audio Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
Gameday Central | Live Stats
SMU Notes | Rice | American
SMU Basketball Yearbook | SMU Digital Game Program
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SMU Basketball Coaches Show Presented By The SMU Cox School Of Business – Monday 7pm At Ozona Grill & Bar
DALLAS – The vibe in the team huddle left SMU men's basketball coach Rob Lanier without speech – not speechless, he just didn't have a need to say much.
Against UAB last week, the Mustangs went into the halftime locker room with a five-point advantage. The Blazers responded by opening the second half on a 9-1 run to seize control.
Many coaches might have needed to take a moment and get the team reorganized. Instead, Lanier's players took it upon themselves, leaving him free to talk strategy.
"When you get into those moments where your back is against the wall, you pay particular attention to the way your team is communicating with one another and how receptive they are to your communication," Lanier said during Monday's coaches show. "And I never felt like I was asking them to show poise or to keep their head up or anything like that. We were just talking about basketball and what needed to happen on the court because the way they were communicating was with such confidence and self-assurance that we were going to be OK, that they gave me a level of confidence."
That composure helped SMU (15-7 overall, 6-3 AAC) to a 72-69 victory, putting the Mustangs on a two-game win streak headed into this week's American Athletic Conference matchups. SMU will be at RIce (9-13, 3-6) on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. battle, followed by a home game against North Texas (12-9, 5-4) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Lanier quickly attributes his team's experience over the course of the season as a major factor in their ability to remain calm, even when things aren't going in their favor. SMU has been involved in seven games this year that have been decided by two or less possessions, including each of the last four outings. The Mustangs lost the first five of those contests, but have bounced back to win the last two.
"It's a credit to the experiences we've had up to this point because I think that was maybe the second or third time where we've had our backs against the wall on our home court, but their response was really, really impressive and it's a credit to the guys," Lanier said.
Now, SMU heads into the second half of conference play looking to build and sustain its momentum. Rice presents a different and difficult challenge as 6-foot-11 post player Max Fiedler leads the AAC in rebounding at 9.86 boards per game, but also sits second in assists at 5.45 per outing. After a lackluster start to the season, the Owls won both games last week, including road trips to Memphis and UTSA.
While Fiedler and Rice require a unique game plan, Sunday's battle with North Texas will feel very familiar as it will be the first conference rematch of the season. The Mustang were on the wrong end of a 68-66 decision in Denton two weeks ago.
After such an evenly matched battle the first time, Lanier expects more of the same in the sequel.
"That'll be an interesting preps because there's some things that stood out to us that we need to do better, that we can do better," Lanier said. "And obviously, I'm sure they feel the same way, so it should be another really competitive game."
