Fresh off key upset win, SMU aims to keep BC near ACC cellar
SMU is coming off a statement win over No. 21 Louisville on Tuesday and hopes to keep rolling Saturday when it welcomes Boston College for an ACC matchup in Dallas.
The Mustangs (18-8, 7-6) won 95-85 to end the Cardinals' five-game winning streak while improving to 14-2 at home and staying in position to make the NCAA Tournament if they continue to play well down the stretch.
Boston College (9-17, 2-11) is looking to pick up the pieces after a crushing 80-72 loss to Florida State in a game where the Eagles led 42-32 at halftime and 59-45 with 11 minutes remaining.
Boston College suffered its seventh consecutive loss, five of which have been by single digits, and understandably, exasperation is mounting.
"It's frustrating," Eagles coach Earl Grant said after the loss to the Seminoles. "Obviously we spend a lot of time preparing for these games. I thought we were very prepared and ready to play.
"We played great basketball for a long period of time (against Florida State), but we didn't finish, So, yeah, it is frustrating, but what do you about it? You go back to work."
Fred Payne scored 22 against Florida State and is the team's leading scoring threat at 15.2 points per outing. Payne has reached double figures in 12 consecutive games, pouring in 20-plus five times.
Life is much different for the Mustangs, who have beaten two nationally-ranked opponents at home this season.
In their win over the Cardinals, Jaron Pierre Jr. poured in 25 points while Boopie Miller scored 23 to go along with nine assists, marking the third time in the last four games the duo has scored 20-plus points.
Miller is averaging 19.0 points per contest, while Pierre is contributing 17.7 per game.
SMU's win over Louisville was important for two reasons. First, it allowed the Mustangs to bounce back after a gut-wrenching 79-78 road loss to Syracuse last Saturday.
And then there is the added value of beating a team like Louisville.
"This was really important," SMU head coach Andy Enfield said. "You have to beat teams like this to go to the NCAA Tournament. You have to beat teams like this to get a decent seed. Our goal is to get to March Madness, but we're not there yet."