SMU was not a popular pick to make noise in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The Mustangs had lost eight of their last nine, and were manhandled by last place South Florida in their regular season finale.
When the dust settled in Orlando Tuesday afternoon, SMU defeated UConn in its conference opener, 80-73.
In a rollercoaster ride of a game, the Mustangs saw their 21-point second half lead fall to four in the game’s final minute, but pulled out the win with clutch free throw shooting.
“Some teams break, but we just bend and we snap back,” guard Ben Emelogu said.