Virginia Travels to SMU for ACC Opener

Virginia (5-3) opens ACC play on the road this Saturday against conference newcomer Southern Methodist (7-2).  The game is scheduled for a 2:15 PM Eastern tipoff in Dallas, televised on CW Network.  

About SMU

The Mustangs are led by head coach Andy Enfield in his first season after coming over from Southern Cal.  Enfield took USC to five NCAA Tournaments in his 11 seasons at the helm there.  He’s perhaps more known for his earlier stint at Florida Gulf Coast, where he coached the “Dunk City” team that reached the 2013 Sweet Sixteen as a 15-seed.  

SMU enters with a 7-2 overall record.  Their best win is over Washington State.  They dropped a home game to a good Mississippi State team and lost on the road at Butler.   It’s a good offensive squad,  ranking top 20 in adjusted efficiency while scoring 88 points per game.  They’ve topped the 100-point mark three times already.   The Mustangs currently sit at 44 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which would make this game a Quad-1 opportunity for UVA as things stand.  

As is often the case under a new coach, the Mustangs had heavy roster turnover in the offseason.  Five of their top seven players are newcomers, including four transfer additions.  It’s a pretty experienced group though, littered with super seniors. 

SMU’s Personnel

Enfield has been going with a big starting lineup lately.  Once he dips into the bench, they typically shift to a more normal three guard look for most of the game.  

G - #2 Boopie Miller (6’0” Junior, Wake Forest transfer, 15.6 points and 5.8 assists per game)

G - #0 BJ Edwards (6’3” Junior, 11.0 points and 3.3 assists per game) 

F - #33 Matt Cross (6’7” Super Senior, UMass transfer, 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) 

F - #21 Yohan Traore (6’11” Junior, UC-Santa Barbara transfer, 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game)

C - #24 Samet Yigitoglu (7’2” Freshman, 11.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game) 

Point guard Chuck Harris (12.6 PPG), a four-year starter now coming off the bench in his fifth season, is shooting 46% from deep.  And Oregon transfer wing Kario Oquendo (10.6 PPG), another super senior, is an explosive athlete.  

Make Them Earn

Virginia is coming off one of their worst defensive performances of recent memory in Wednesday’s 87-69 loss at Florida.  To be fair, Florida had a lot to do with it.   The Gators scored 1.38 points per possession, the 2nd highest rate allowed by a UVA team in the last decade.  It’s safe to assume defense has been the focal point of Coach Sanchez and the staff in the days since.  

The Wahoos will obviously need to be much better to pull out a win in Dallas.  As mentioned, SMU is a high scoring team.  Transition defense, which was an occasional problem against Florida, will be important.  SMU tries to get out and run at every opportunity.  

Second chance points are a big part of SMU’s offense, ranking sixth nationally in offensive rebound percentage.  That’s been a vulnerability for UVA early in the season, although they’ve done a better job the last few games.   Those are the two defensive keys.  Make SMU play against a set defense, then limit them to one shot.  Take away the cheap points.  

ACC Debut 

We’re getting into the games that matter most now.  This is the ACC opener for both teams.  And for SMU, it’s especially significant.  This is their first ACC game ever.   If you haven’t noticed, they’re pretty excited about joining the league.  They’ll surely have a full house of energetic fans there on Saturday.  It’ll be a hostile atmosphere to say the least.  UVA will need to play with poise and not let the crowd become a factor.  

Virginia hasn’t started the season as well as hoped.  But in a way, Saturday is the start of a new season.  Everybody is 0-0 in ACC play.   The Wahoos have a streak on the line too.  Tony Bennett was an incredible 15-0 in ACC openers.  We’ll see if interim coach Ron Sanchez can keep the magic going.  

Up Next

After Saturday, the schedule slows down for exam season.  The Hoos next play on Thursday, a home date with Bethune-Cookman.  Then they’ll have the weekend off before hosting Memphis the following Wednesday, December 18th.  

For better or worse, we’ll have it covered all season long on Locker Room Access.  Be sure to tune in for the pregame show, available on YouTube and Facebook 30 minutes before tipoff.

(Featured Image Credit: Jamie Holt/UVA Athletics)