What SMU needs to do to get into 2022 NCAA Tournament

The SMU Mustangs had a pretty nice regular season and mostly handled its business as a Top 50 team in NET ratings. They mostly handled business against a moderate schedule but bad early-season losses to Missouri and Loyola-Marymount stick out like sore thumbs.

At 22-7, the Mustangs have one foot off the bubble for the NCAA Tournament but could still do a little bit more to improve their standing in the eyes of the committee. We’ll go over what needs to be done, if anything at all, for them to make it into the big dance.

Bubble Watch

SMU finished second in the American Athletic Conference regular-season standings and will have a first-round bye in the league tournament this week. The team will take the court on Friday to face either Wichita State or Tulsa. The Mustangs beat the Golden Hurricane twice this season but lost to the Shockers in late February.

SMU is trending in the right direction as far as the NCAA Tournament goes but it can’t afford to trip over itself in the AAC Tourney. That means winning its quarterfinal matchup convincingly and putting up a good showing in the semifinals against what will presumably be Memphis.

The Mustangs would also benefit from other bubble teams like Indiana, Oregon, and Virginia Tech, among others, flaming out during their respective conference tournaments.

Will SMU get in?

Answer: Yes. Again, the caveat is that the Mustangs cannot trip over themselves and get clipped by Wichita or Tulsa. Losing that game would bring unnecessary negative attention upon itself and they don’t want that to happen as Selection Sunday approaches.