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Jim Phillips defends SMU as NCAA Tournament team, cites impact of BJ Edwards injury

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz03/14/26NickSchultz_7

Following this week’s loss to Louisville in the ACC Tournament, SMU has to wait and find out its fate for the NCAA Tournament. But the Mustangs said Friday the expectation is BJ Edwards will available for the Big Dance, and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips cited Edwards’ injury while defending SMU as a tournament team.

SMU went 20-13 overall this year following the loss to Louisville after going 8-10 during conference play. But he missed the last five games due to an injury suffered against Cal. The Mustangs went 1-4 during that span to close out the year. For comparison, they’re 19-9 when Edwards is in the lineup.

Phillips noted that fact, as well as the Mustangs’ nine wins against Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 opponents – four in Q1 and five in Q2. They also have not lost to a Q3 or Q4 team and sit at No. 37 in the NET rankings. Given his experience on the men’s and women’s selection committees, Phillips argued SMU deserves to be in the bracket.

“The facts are they’re 19-8 when they have BJ Edwards and Boopie Miller,” Phillips said Friday on ESPN2 ahead of Duke vs. Clemson. “BJ Edwards lost four games in a row, and that’s what SMU did. They lost four games in a row. They’re 37th in the NET. They have nine Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins. They have zero Quad 3 and Quad 4 losses. Just watch SMU play. And before BJ Edwards got injured, they were at 30 in the NET. Now, they’re at 37. All the other teams that I see compared to SMU are in the 40s and 50s in the NET.

“As a former NCAA men’s basketball and women’s basketball committee member, I know what goes on in that room. And that metric, specifically, is really important, as well as those nine Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories.”

SMU finds itself on the bubble with Selection Sunday just a few days away. On3’s James Fletcher III has the Mustangs as one of the last four teams in the bracket, according to the latest Bracketology. But getting Edwards back is a huge boost for the Mustangs considering he averages 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and a team-high 2.3 steals.

Friday morning, the program announced he is expected to be available for the Big Dance. Now, all eyes will be on the Selection Show as SMU awaits its NCAA Tournament fate.