The (for the moment, anyway) 17th ranked UConn Huskies (11-2, 0-1) continue their tour of sadness in Texas today, as they face the SMU (10-3, 0-1) in Dallas.
The Huskies looked horrendous in the first half against Houston on Tuesday night, and that team certainly was not expected to give UConn much of a challenge. But the Huskies suffered a humiliating loss to the unranked Cougars, losing 75-71 after overcoming a 21-point first-half deficit. The Houston loss is one that will harm the Huskies’ resume come tournament time, and UConn cannot afford another loss like that today.
SMU, however, is not a cupcake team, and UConn will need to play for both haves to win this one. The Mustangs shoot 50.4 percent from the floor, and hold their opponents to 35.7 percent in field goals.
Shabazz Napier led UConn with 27 points in its loss to Houston, scoring 25 of those in the second half.
Sophomore guard Nic Moore leads the Mustangs with 13.4 points per game. Yanick Moreira, a 6-11 junior leads SMU with 5.7 rebounds per game.
Notes:
- SMU lost to Cincinnati on Wednesday, turning the ball over 17 times.
- Coach Kevin Ollie will be facing Larry Brown, one of his mentors, today. Brown coached Ollie when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1999-2001.
- This game is the first in SMU’s newly renovated Moody Coliseum.
- SMU outrebounds its opponents by an average of nine rebounds. Bazz is still leading UConn in rebounds with 6.5 per game.
- This is only the second meeting between UConn and SMU. The Huskies and the Mustangs faced each other in Dallas in 1965 with SMU winning 80-66.
