Both teams are looking for a bounce-back win when SMU and Notre Dame meet for the first time as Atlantic Coast Conference opponents on Wednesday in South Bend, Ind.
The visiting Mustangs (19-6, 10-4 ACC) are in fifth place in the league standings and squarely on the bubble to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. SMU won five in a row before Saturday’s 77-66 home loss to Wake Forest.
The Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-9), meanwhile, are heading toward a third straight losing season and have dropped four of their last five games, including a 75-60 home setback Sunday against Louisville.
The frustration level is high at Notre Dame, with coach Micah Shrewsberry knocking over a microphone following the loss to the Cardinals.
“You think I should be fired?” Shrewsberry said. “Good for you. You’re allowed to have opinions. A lot of people have given up on this team and given up on me. I don’t really give a damn. I believe in myself and I believe in these guys.”
The Fighting Irish are leaning on a defense led by Markus Burton (team-high 31 steals) and Keba Njie (team-high 16 blocked shots).
Their efforts will be tested by an SMU offense that ranks third in the ACC with 77.6 points per game and fourth in 3-point shooting (38.0 percent) in conference play.
However, the Mustangs could be without leading scorer Boopie Miller and his 13.4 points per game. He missed the loss to the Demon Deacons with a bruised foot.
Mustangs coach Andy Enfield said postgame that they were “trying to be cautious” with the injury, and he was not sure if Miller would be available in South Bend. One of the most consistent point guards in the ACC, Miller averages a team-high 5.7 assists along with 1.6 steals per game.
“Certainly hurts when you lose your leading scorer and leading assist guy, not to make an excuse about the game,” Enfield said after the loss. “With his quickness and dribble penetration to set guys up, we missed a little bit of that tonight.”
–Field Level Media
