In its second year in the ACC and second year under head coach Andy Enfield, the SMU men's basketball team got the win it had been missing.

The Mustangs upset then-No. 12 North Carolina 97-83 on Saturday afternoon. And the country took notice.

On Monday, the Mustangs entered the AP and Coaches polls at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively, and were named the March Madness Men's Basketball National Team of the Week by Andy Katz and Boopie Miller was named ACC Player of the Week. 

"It's our biggest win since we've been here," Enfield said. "Last year we had a couple chances. Boopie was hurt. Remember, we were 19-5, and we had a couple of big games coming in here to Moody, and without him, we didn't win. This is a big game for us. This is a big game in the standings. It's a big game on a national stage."

On that stage, Miller starred. 

He shot 10-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 from the 3-point line, to finish with 27 points in addition to 12 assists for his fifth double-double of the season.

"He was terrific to have 27 (points), 12 assists and only two turnovers, and he handled the ball most of the game," Enfield said of Miller. "It was just one of the best performances I've seen for a guard like this to not only score that many points but also have 12 assists in one game on this stage."

Miller carried last year's Duke game that opened the new year and the end of the season when he missed key games with him into the offseason, into the early part of the season and into Saturday.

"I just feel like Coach Enfield called the right plays and put me in the right position and my teammates in the right position to make shots and for me to get downhill and make those types of plays for the team so we could get the win," Miller said.

The other half of SMU's one-two punch was Corey Washington. Not only did he score 23 points, make five 3-pointers and pull down six rebounds, but he was also the primary defender on UNC's star freshman Caleb Wilson.

Washington held Wilson to 13 points, matching his season low, and Wilson attempted a season-low two free throws. 

"Corey has really improved," Enfield said. "He's one of the most improved players we've had here in our short time, because we're expecting him to be a forward, a guard, shoot the 3 at a higher volume, similar to what Matt Cross did last year. … He's done a great job of learning our system, learning how to play, get out of his comfort zone at times, and doing what he does very well, and we're trying to use him in that way, and his teammates do a good job of finding him when he's open."

With the game tied coming out of halftime, it was Washington who helped get things going. He scored SMU's first six points and nine of the team's first 11. 

Washington's 3-pointer, three minutes into the second half, broke another tie — the last tie — giving the Mustangs the lead for good. And they thought they might not even have him for the second half after he left the game late in the first half with an injury.

"Corey, we didn't know if he would play the second half," Enfield said. "We came out of the locker room thinking Jaden Toombs was going to start at forward for us, because Corey had hurt his knee in the first half. Fortunately, he was able to participate and played great. Came out, made those 3s and a couple defensive stops, so we needed him in the game."

While the Mustangs may have been unsure if Washington was going to come out and play to start the second half, he had no doubt.

"I wasn't going to let myself sit out," Washington said. "... The injury was, it was decent, but I just wanted to get the win, and I knew that in order for that to happen, we had to come out in the second half strong."

B.J. Edwards also delivered a strong performance with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds, while Jaron Pierre Jr. added 13. 

"We knew our guards had to play well (Saturday) to beat North Carolina," Enfield said. "Our best players, meaning our leading scorers, are our guards — our three guards, and then Corey is the fourth guard, even though he plays forward for us. Our guards had to play well. You can't beat a team like this, as talented as Carolina is, without your guards playing well. And they all played great."

The result was the first win against a ranked opponent since 2022, and now the Mustangs are ranked for the first time since 2017. For the longest-tenured SMU player on the roster, it was the biggest win he's been a part of.

"Honestly, this is one of the best wins we had overall," Edwards said.

But it is just one game. The Mustangs are 1-0 in conference play, but they have bigger goals than can be achieved in the first days of the new year. 

That's the focus as SMU travels to Clemson and No. 6 Duke this week. But they have put themselves squarely in the conversation.

"We have some goals we want to accomplish, and we want to compete — our players believe we can compete — for an ACC championship," Enfield said. "This is Game 1, so we're not taking anything for granted. I'm obviously not saying we're the best team in the ACC, but they want to go compete, and I think you saw that (Saturday)."