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| MATT CASHORE/IMAGN |
The SMU Mustangs, led by head coach Andy Enfield, were one of the last at-large teams to make it into the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And it turns out they only made the field of 68 due to a lie.
SMU went 20-13 over the course of the regular season and ACC Tournament play and snuck in to the play-in round as an 11-seed, where they squared off with the 31-1 Miami Redhawks on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs fell to the Redhawks, 89-79, ending their season. But they did so without one of their top players, senior guard B.J. Edwards, at their disposal. Edwards was the team’s third-leading scorer with 12.9 points per game and second-leading rebounder at 5.9 per game this season.
However, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee believed he would be available for the game against Miami. In fact, that was one of the main reasons SMU made the tournament at all.
SMU Told The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee That B.J. Edwards Would Play
When discussing the final teams to make the bracket, NCAA Tournament Selection Committee Chair Keith Gill explained that Edwards’ availability was a key reason for the Mustangs sneaking into the field.
That’s despite the fact that he hasn’t played since Feb. 25 when he suffered an ankle injury in a loss to Cal.
“Six games ago, they lost one of their important players, Edwards, and they’ve lost five of six of those games (since),” Gill said. “He’s coming back. He’s the third-leading scorer, defensive player…”
He did not, in fact, come back.
Edwards did not play a single minute on Wednesday night against the Redhawks. Had he done so, perhaps the result would have been different.
“He just didn’t feel like he was quite game-ready.” SMU coach Andy Enfield said after the game, denying any intentional deception.
But it certainly appears that SMU misled the selection committee to some degree, and now teams like Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State, and Indiana are led to wonder “what if?” over their NCAA Tournament hopes.
- CLAY SAUERTIEG
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