Coming off its run to the ACC Men's Soccer Championships title, SMU has shifted its focus to the NCAA tournament.
While the Mustangs have gone into the NCAA tournament after winning a conference tournament before, they've never done it after winning the ACC.
SMU Head Coach Kevin Hudson called winning the ACC tournament "an immense accomplishment for the program" and expressed his pride in the players and coaching staff for the achievement. At the same time, he also told the players that it is now in the past.
"To run through the ACC tournament takes a special group and some good fortune and some really good performances," Hudson said. "But we have to compartmentalize this ACC tournament. I'll tell the boys, 'Come Wednesday morning, that's done. I don't need to see it on social media. I don't need to see any more clips. This is about the NCAA tournament and trying to win a second trophy.'"
The Mustangs will take the No. 5 seed into the NCAA tournament, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the third round. But it did leave the Mustangs one spot shy of being able to host every round of the tournament until it moves to Cary, N.C., for the College Cup.
"We are very happy to be in the NCAA tournament," Hudson said. "We're the (No.) four RPI who just went on a really good run through the ACC tournament. I said it (Sunday) to the media, I feel sometimes we are overlooked and disrespected, and I feel that's probably a disrespect again."
Much was made about the men's soccer team winning SMU's first ACC championship in just its second year in the league. Not much was made about the success of the SMU men's soccer program before it joined the conference, including 13 trips to the Elite Eight, made 14 by last year's appearance.
Not getting one of the Top 4 seeds is something the Mustangs will use as motivation, but they can't afford to get too caught up in it.
"They need to know it. They feel it too," Hudson said about the perceived disrespect. "They saw how it came out. But you're going to get a good team in the second round. We're happy with the bye. No matter what, you're getting a good team — Washington or Oregon State. We played Washington last year in that same game. So you're going to get a good team, and the five-seed doesn't come into play for a couple of rounds. So we've got to worry about Round Two and beyond before that."
In the immediate aftermath of winning the ACC title on Sunday and the bracket being released on Monday, the focus was rest. The Mustangs had been through the gauntlet, playing four games in 12 days and traveling to both coasts.
"Rest, for sure. The guys were shattered," Hudson said. "I won't see them again until Wednesday. They need to sleep, recover, and go to school. We had Wake Forest on a Wednesday, traveled to Stanford for a Sunday night game, red-eye back home for a couple days, traveled to Cary, two games in Cary, traveled back (Sunday) night. We need a break. We need to recharge those batteries and take a couple of days off, but we'll get them focused and ready for Sunday. We'll start that on Wednesday."
On Thursday night, the Mustangs will know their second-round opponent. Either way, it will be a somewhat recent rematch, as SMU faced Oregon State in the third round of the 2023 tournament and Washington in last year's second round.
Hudson will lean on his assistant coaches — Michael King, Ross Fitzpatrick and Jaime Ibarra-Perez — along with a team that has thrived tactically.
"We will prepare the team as we always do," Hudson said. "We'll prepare for the opponent, whatever the opponent has. I have some really good assistant coaches who are really sharp tactically, so we'll put together the right plan. I've said it several times, this group is probably our smartest and most tactically astute group that we've had. We give them information, and they can adjust and play a multitude of ways and defend a multitude of ways. We'll get ready and be excited for Sunday."
