SMU Mustangs fell 89-79 to Miami RedHawks in the NCAA Division I men's basketball First Four on March 19, 2025, at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.[1][2]
B.J. Edwards, a freshman guard for SMU who averaged 4.9 points and 1.4 rebounds over 25 games this season, was listed as out on the final injury report two hours before tipoff.[3][4] SMU, coached by Andy Enfield in his first season after arriving from USC, entered the tournament as the No. 11 seed after a 20-12 regular season record (10-8 in the ACC).[1][5]
NCAA selection committee chair Keith Gill cited Edwards' anticipated return as a key factor in awarding SMU one of the final at-large bids. "One of their important players, (BJ) Edwards, lost five of six of those games," Gill said. "He's coming back. He's the third leading scorer, defensive player. And so, the quality of wins and obviously them getting back to full strength allowed them to kind of get that last spot."[6][1]
Enfield addressed Edwards' status after the loss: "He looked really good in practice today, last couple days, he shot the ball well. He's moving well, but I think there's a thing called game readiness, and he just didn't feel like he was quite game ready. He said, 'I could definitely play on Friday, if we win this game,' definitely going to play on Friday, but just not quite game ready. Really, that was probably a day short."[1][6]
The Mustangs shot 42.6% from the field and were outrebounded 38-32, while Miami shot 51.2% and had 18 assists on 32 field goals.[1][2] SMU's season ends with the loss; Miami advances to face an opponent in the main bracket first round on March 21.[1]
Sources
- Fox News, "Did SMU Lie Its Way Into NCAA Tournament With Health Status Of BJ Edwards?", March 20, 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/smu-lie-ncaa-tournament-bj-edwards-health
- ESPN, "Miami (OH) 89, SMU 79: First Four box score", March 19, 2025, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401732345
- SMU Athletics, "Men's Basketball Injury Report - March 19", March 19, 2025, https://smuathletics.com/news/2025/3/19/mens-basketball-injury-update-vs-miami-oh
- NCAA.com, "2025 Men's Basketball Bracket - First Four match center", March 19, 2025, https://www.ncaa.com/game/401732345
- SMU Athletics, "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule and Results", accessed March 20, 2025, https://smuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2024-25
- OutKick, "NCAA Selection Committee Chair Comments on SMU Selection", March 20, 2025, https://www.outkick.com/college/ncaa-smu-edwards-injury-selection
