The last two games played by the SMU men's basketball team could not have gone much more differently.
First, the Mustangs used a Jaron Pierre Jr. layup in the final seconds to beat Butler on Saturday afternoon before a 46-point win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night. Not only were the scores different, so was the way SMU went about it.
Against Butler, the Mustangs fell behind early. They then stormed out after the break and took control of the game before needing to hold on late.
"That was a great win for us against a very good team," SMU head coach Andy Enfield said on Saturday. "Butler is a hard team to play against because they shoot so many 3s and they're very skilled. Great win for us, especially getting down so much early and being down at halftime. Guys came out with a lot of passion and fire in the second half, and we were able to hold on."
While Enfield wouldn't share what was said in the locker room, he did note the team's response was positive. They handled the message and then executed it on the floor.
"They really responded, and they came together," Enfield said. "They have to go make plays and have that intensity defensively, like they did early in the second half to get that lead and were terrific. Showed a lot of heart, passion on our home floor, our first big crowd home game here against a Big East team."
Much of the work SMU did offensively, it did inside. The Mustangs scored 62 points in the paint, including the game-winning basket. Big men Samet Yiğitoğlu and Mitchell Holmes combined for 24 points.
As a team, SMU shot 70% from the floor in the second half and was 17-of-24 from inside the 3-point line.
"We're a very good rim team. Butler doesn't like to foul, so we were able to finish at the rim a lot. We had 62 points in the paint … 62 points in the paint is a lot. We only made four 3s, but we were able to get to the rim, and they don't really challenge shots at the rim. They had one blocked shot, but our guys did a good job of finishing in the lane and at the rim. We're not a high-volume 3-point shooting team. We're a high-volume get-to-the-rim, lay-the-ball-in, draw-fouls team, and then hopefully that will eventually open up our 3-point shooting."
The Mustangs finished 4-of-13 from the 3-point line against Butler, including 0-for-7 in the first half. It was a different story on Tuesday against UAPB, as SMU made 12 3-pointers on the night, shooting 7-of-18 in the first half and 5-of-9 in the second half.
Enfield doesn't have a problem with taking a lot of 3-point shots, as long as the situation is right.
"We took too many one- or zero-pass shots in the first half," Enfield said. "In their zone, we shot too many 3s with guys in our face instead of driving the ball. We shot 17 or 18 3s, which is OK as long as we're open. We made a high percentage when our feet were set and we were open, but if not, if the defender's standing right in front of you, there's no use in shooting over him, drive by or make a play for your teammates. I thought we did a better job in the second half, especially early in the second half. Our starting unit came out and did just that. They made plays, and they were very consistent with how they approached the offensive end."
SMU finished with five scorers in double figures against Butler and six against Pine Bluff. Both games had a scorer just outside double digits with eight.
On both nights, SMU point guard Boopie Miller reached double-digit assists with 12 against Butler and 10 on Tuesday to go with 23 and 15 points, respectively.
"He's seeing the floor really well," Enfield said of Miller. "He's getting the ball to his teammates at the right time so they can either shoot the ball or play off closeouts. He's playing at a high level, and we need him to keep doing that. Even the last three possessions before we took him out, he had three assists. He's really seeing the floor well."
Five games into the season, the Mustangs are starting to find their identity a little bit. Enfield stressed defense and rebounding at halftime against Butler, and the players responded in the second half, and that carried over into the game against UAPB.
And now with a close, hard-fought win under its belt and a game where it took care of business, SMU is ready to keep that momentum going.
"I thought our game on Saturday against Butler gave us some confidence, winning a close game against a Big East team," Enfield said. "We're not really concerned about the opponents' records. We respect everybody, and we prepare. Pine Bluff's had a really hard schedule. To go on the road for five straight games is challenging. They have some good players, and our guys came out with the same intensity and did what they had to do and what they should do."
