The SMU Mustangs fell to the Duke Blue Devils in their first matchup of the season, despite a strong showing from transfers Boopie Miller and Matt Cross. The Mustangs struggled offensively, scoring their lowest point total of the season.
The Mustangs fell in their first meeting with Duke, but they’ll have plenty of chances to make their mark in the ACC .SMU head coach Andy Enfield cheers a basket during the first half of an NCAA men’s basketball game against Duke at Moody Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Dallas.UNIVERSITY PARK — In front of a rowdy sellout crowd at Moody Coliseum facing the No.
4 team in the country, anBut on a day where SMU wanted to show how far it had come in just the last few months, the Mustangs were far from their best.That led SMU to finish with its lowest point total of the season and far below its ACC-leading average of 87.2 points per game. The Mustangs also led the conference in both field goal percentage (49.6%) and 3-point percentage (39%) entering Saturday.Defense had been the Mustangs’ weakness, and Saturday’s performance didn’t help those numbers. Freshman Cooper Flagg, the anticipated No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, was a problem for SMU and finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting.Both SMU and Duke had largely new teams this season, with the Blue Devils led by freshmen, as they often are, and the Mustangs bringing in 11 new players, including seven in the transfer portal.In just seven months under Enfield, SMU has shown strides and had moments, especially in the first half Saturday, that hinted atTransfers Boopie Miller and Matt Cross have led the Mustangs all year and did so again Saturday. Miller finished with 21 points and five assists while Cross added 11 points and eight rebounds. Miller, just a junior, could return to SMU next season. He’ll be joined by 20-year-old true freshman Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-2 force inside the paint, who had his second double-double of the year with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Coming to the Hilltop from Turkey, he was not eligible to play in SMU’s first two games of the season before SMU didn’t have a future lottery pick like Flagg or the N
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