2020–21 SMU Mustangs men's basketball team explained
| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2020–21 |
| Prev Year: | 2019–20 |
| Next Year: | 2021–22 |
| Team: | SMU Mustangs |
| Conference: | American Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | AAC |
| Record: | 11–6 |
| Conf Record: | 7–4 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Asst Coach1: | Jay Duncan |
| Asst Coach2: | Yaphett King |
| Bowl Result: | First Round |
The 2020–21 SMU Mustangs men's basketball team represented Southern Methodist University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mustangs, led by fifth-year head coach Tim Jankovich, played their home games at Moody Coliseum on their campus in University Park, Texas as members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). They finished the season 11–6, 7–4 in AAC play, to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament to Cincinnati. They received an invitation to the NIT where they lost in the first round to Boise State.
Previous season
The Mustangs finished the 2019–20 season 19–11, 9–9 in AAC play, to finish in seventh place. They entered as the No. 7 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|
| C. J. White | 13 | G | 6'5" | 185 | | | Walk-on; transferred to Little Rock[2] |
| 15 | F | 6'8" | 215 | | | Played professionally[3] |
| Grant Youngkin | 20 | G | 6'3" | 190 | | | Walk-on; not on team roster |
|
2020 recruiting class
SMU did not sign any recruits for the 2020 class.
2021 recruiting class
Preseason
AAC preseason media poll
On October 28, The American released the preseason poll and other preseason awards.[6]
| Coaches Poll |
| 1 | Houston | 99 (2) |
| 2 | Memphis | 90 (2) |
| 3 | SMU | 80 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 77 |
| 5 | South Florida | 61 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 50 |
| 7 | Wichita State | 44 |
| 8 | UCF | 37 |
| 9 | East Carolina | 34 |
| 10 | Temple | 18 |
| 11 | Tulane | 15 | |
Preseason awards
- All-AAC First Team – Kendric Davis
- All-AAC Second Team – Tyson Jolly
Roster
- Preseason: Tyson Jolly decided to opt out for the season.
- January 23, 2021: Tyson Jolly decided to rejoin the team for the remainder of the season.[7]
Schedule and results
The Mustangs began a series with Dayton in Dayton, Ohio beginning in the 2020–21 season.[8]
COVID-19 impact
See main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Mustangs' schedule was subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.
- Two previously scheduled games were postponed (vs. Arizona State and @ UNLV) were postponed to the 2021–22 season.
- The game @ South Florida scheduled for February 20 was moved to Dallas.[9]
Schedule
|-!colspan=12 style=| Regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| AAC tournament|-|-!colspan=12 style=| NIT|-
Awards and honors
American Athletic Conference honors
All-AAC First Team
All-AAC Third Team
Source:[10]
Notes and References
- Web site: April 1, 2020 . Men's Basketball 2019-20 Season In Review . May 26, 2020 . smumustangs.com . SMU Athletics.
- Web site: UALR men's basketball picks up SMU transfer . Stoia . George . July 28, 2020 . arkansasonline.com . . August 17, 2020.
- JonRothstein . 1280667737556160512 . 7 Jul 2020 . SMU's Isiaha Mike tells me that he will sign with an agent and remain in the 2020 Draft. https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1280667737556160512 . July 9, 2020 .
- Web site: SMU announces Oklahoma State transfer Yor Anei . Embody . Billy . July 20, 2020 . 247sports.com . August 17, 2020 .
- Web site: NCAA grants blanket waiver to transfer athletes, most of whom can play right away . Bieler . Des . December 17, 2020 . . December 22, 2020 .
- Web site: October 28, 2020 . Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite . June 22, 2024 . theamerican.org.
- Web site: Blum . Sam . January 29, 2021 . SMU guard Tyson Jolly opens up on struggles that kept him away from team, why he rejoined Mustangs . June 22, 2024 . dallasnews.com.
- Web site: May 8, 2020 . SMU Adds Home-And-Home With Dayton . May 26, 2020 . smumustangs.com . SMU Athletics.
- Web site: January 27, 2021 . The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes . June 22, 2024 . theamerican.org.
- Web site: 2021-03-10 . American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors . 2024-06-22 . theamerican.org.
