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SMU Basketball Left Out Of AP Preseason Top 25 After NCAA Breakthrough
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- SMU Basketball Left Out Of AP Preseason Top 25 After NCAA Breakthrough
(Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
SMU basketball is back in the national postseason conversation, but the Mustangs aren't getting much preseason respect from Associated Press voters.
Despite reaching the NCAA Tournament last season and strengthening their roster through the transfer portal, SMU was left outside Monday's preseason AP Top 25.
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For third-year coach Andy Enfield, the omission provides another challenge as the Mustangs attempt to establish themselves among the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading programs.
SMU took a significant step forward during the 2025-26 campaign, reaching March Madness for the first time since 2017.
The Mustangs also defeated two nationally ranked opponents and returned to the AP Top 25 during the regular season for the first time in nine years.
Those achievements helped demonstrate that SMU could compete after joining the ACC.
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Now Enfield must prove the program can maintain that momentum.
The Mustangs enter the season with a roster reshaped by transfers and an offense that ranked among the nation's top 30 in several categories last year.
SMU finished among the national leaders in scoring, assists, field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting.
That offensive production helped the Mustangs establish an identity built around pace, spacing and perimeter scoring.
Enfield has worked to replenish the roster with another highly regarded transfer class, including former Tulane guard Rowan Brumbaugh.
The experienced guard figures to play a significant role in directing SMU's offense.
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Sophomore forward Jaden Toombs also returns as an important frontcourt piece, while transfers Gehrig Normand and Nic Codie add additional options.
But the road back to the NCAA Tournament won't be easy.
The ACC placed four teams in the preseason Top 25, led by No. 2 Duke.
Louisville checks in at No. 11, with Virginia ninth and Miami fourteenth.
SMU will face all four during conference play, including a February 9 home matchup against Duke at Moody Coliseum.
The Mustangs also visit Virginia, North Carolina and Miami during a demanding conference schedule.
Before those challenges arrive, SMU will have opportunities to establish its identity during nonconference competition.
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The Mustangs host Texas A&M in an October 25 exhibition before opening the regular season November 2 against Southern.
A Thanksgiving tournament featuring Utah State and LSU, along with December matchups against Minnesota, UNLV and Oklahoma, should provide important measuring sticks.
SMU will also benefit from significant national exposure, with 25 regular-season games scheduled for national television.
MORE: SMU's Rhett Lashlee Has High Praise For 'Boring' Kevin Jennings In Win Over Virginia
For Enfield, the preseason poll provides little more than an early assessment of a team still developing chemistry.
The Mustangs already proved they belong in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
