LSU on the road for top-seeded SMU in NIT

[Harry]

LSU forward Jordan Mickey, who played alongside Mudiay last season, hails from the suburb of Arlington and calmly laid out what the city’s best thought of SMU before Brown’s hiring

.

“A lot of people wasn’t looking to go there,” Mickey said Friday.

Under different circumstances, maybe Mickey would under Brown’s tutelage instead of Jones, who still mines the Dallas area heavily after spending 12 seasons at North Texas.

Yet the Tigers’ coach didn’t elaborate on the challenges of trying carve out a foothold at SMU, which has to contend with UNT and TCU inside its metro area and other in-state competitors from Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

“I only know about building at UNT,” Jones said.

Read more: http://theadvocate.com/sports/8712660-128/lsu-on-the-road-for

[Ben Gooding]

O'Brian will go for 20+ against a smaller SMU team.

[CMJ]

Anyone watch the first half of the SMU/LSU game? That was a ton of fun. Really good one brewing.

[TheTastyGreek]

Anyone watch the first half of the SMU/LSU game? That was a ton of fun. Really good one brewing.

Emmitt is there. NT03, FilmerJ, and I are watching together on tv.

[CMJ]

Emmitt is there. NT03, FilmerJ, and I are watching together on tv.

I called Emmitt before it tipped. Didn't know about anyone else.

[Marty]

2 ex NT head coaches in the house: JJ and Jank.

[CMJ]

Well....the first half was good. Was shaping up to be a back and forth barn burner. Then SMU really put the hammer down.

[DeepGreen]

SMU wins. So that's what an experienced head coach can do.

[CMJ]

SMU wins. So that's what an experienced head coach can do.

The thing that most impressed me about SMU tonight...is once they went to stall ball with 4-5 minutes to go. They still ended up with good shots at the end of the shot clock the vast majority of the time. I saw so many teams in the NCAA tournament who would run the clock down and then chuck up lousy shots the last four days. SMU was as good as Arizona or Virginia in regards to playing great stall ball.

That is a definite mark of a well coached team.

[KRAM1]

SMU wins. So that's what an experienced head coach can do.

So JJ isn't an experienced coach as well?

[CMJ]

So JJ isn't an experienced coach as well?

Frankly compared to Brown, he isn't.

[emmitt01]

So JJ isn't an experienced coach as well?

He's a combination of Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and John Wooden compared to Bumford.

Maybe you could remind him I said so at the next charity basketball game.

[CMJ]

He's a combination of Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and John Wooden compared to Bumford.

Maybe you could remind him I said so at the next charity basketball game.

[PlanoGreen]

Sounded loud

[untjim1995]

SMU has done what I didn't think could ever happen--turn into something that people in North Dallas want to watch. A sellout for an NIT game? I realize its LSU, but that place was packed with what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, North Dallas fans.

I wonder if SMU will become a basketball-first school now? I mean, in football, the writing is on the wall that if you aren't AQ, you don't matter much beyond your circle of fans and students who care. They aren't going to moving up anytime soon to an AQ league. If I were them, I'd put my emphasis on hoops, for sure. I know its Texas and that school has produced All-Americans in football from the 40s thru the mid 80s, but if they focused on being a basketball school first, they could very well be a team that could become a strong player nationally, just because they have a good basketball league and are able to go after some of those Texas HS recruits that always seem to leave the state.

[THOR]

how many d1 school can claim they have more butts in seats for a home basketball game than a home football game???

[TheTastyGreek]

how many d1 school can claim they have more butts in seats for a home basketball game than a home football game???

The quick, wiseass answer would be at least ~230... But that's an interesting question. I may look that up tonight.

[UNT90]

The quick, wiseass answer would be at least ~230... But that's an interesting question. I may look that up tonight.

He's... Back?

[greenminer]

SMU has done what I didn't think could ever happen--turn into something that people in North Dallas want to watch. A sellout for an NIT game? I realize its LSU, but that place was packed with what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, North Dallas fans.

I wonder if SMU will become a basketball-first school now? I mean, in football, the writing is on the wall that if you aren't AQ, you don't matter much beyond your circle of fans and students who care. They aren't going to moving up anytime soon to an AQ league. If I were them, I'd put my emphasis on hoops, for sure. I know its Texas and that school has produced All-Americans in football from the 40s thru the mid 80s, but if they focused on being a basketball school first, they could very well be a team that could become a strong player nationally, just because they have a good basketball league and are able to go after some of those Texas HS recruits that always seem to leave the state.

I wasn't a sports fan until after the 70s and 80s, but something tells me the people that drive SMU's athletic bus still want to relive the football glory days. They are 2 generations away from being okay with focusing on basketball. Right now, envision a SMU board meeting agenda that says, "How can use this basketball success to refuel our football program?"

Totally guessing though. I think it's an interesting thought, and some older fans can chime in with better perspective.

[TheTastyGreek]

He's... Back?

Probably not.

But, if you've missed me, we ought to meet up with Green P1 sometime during a men's home game next season. Anywhere but the super pit sounds good to me.

[CMJ]

But, if you've missed me, we ought to meet up with Green P1 sometime during a men's home game next season. Anywhere but the super pit sounds good to me.

Edited March 25, 2014 by CMJ