All the talk of SMU going undefeated died down on Sunday night as the No. 8 Mustangs fell on the road against Temple, 89-81, in Philadelphia. The game was delayed one day because of Storm Jonas, which rocked the East Coast with up to three-feet of snow in some cities.
Larry Brown’s program had run off 18 straight wins to open the season after learning that they would be subject to a postseason ban due to violations committed by the staff relating to academic fraud. With the added motivation for a senior laden team to prove themselves worthy to the country, the storyline of an undefeated season was the one thing keeping SMU relevant on the national level. After all, with all the impending bubble analysis as we enter February, how much time can truly be spent on a team that won’t be dancing? Little, if any.
Now, the question is whether or not this group still feels the motivation to show up every day to practice with the same intensity, to every game with the same hunger, as they did before. Faced with the reality that their season will be over in 11 games no matter what, that can be a tall task for a group of emotional young men.
If anything, that will be the true test for Brown. Can he convince this group to still play for him, for a staff that robbed their own team of a chance at March Madness glory? The player in question has already transferred out of the program, leaving the only offenders on campus to be the ones who still get their paychecks and drive luxury cars to and from practice.
While SMU going undefeated is no longer a storyline we’ll be following, there’s no doubt that at least some of our attention will remain on a group, led by veteran Nic Moore, who deserved better from those employed to guide them.
