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SMU Quick Take: Memphis @ SMU

T
Quick Take: Memphis @ SMU




Final Score: Memphis 59, SMU 73




The QuickTake: SMU (11-4, 2-1) did everything they needed to
do tonight in order to get the win over Memphis (8-6, 1-2). The Mustangs got
off to yet another quick start and never looked back. SMU trailed just once
this game, 2-1 at the very beginning, and wouldn't surrender another lead to
Memphis. SMU kept Memphis off of the glass, out-rebounding the Tigers 22-10 in
the first half and 38-22 for the game. The Mustangs took care of the ball as
well, only forced to 11 turnovers, three of them coming in garbage time. And
most importantly, Markus Kennedy shined for SMU with 21 points.




The Highlight: Markus Kennedy. Mustang Nation was finally
able to see what they have been long-anticipating this season out of Kennedy
tonight. At times, he still looked a bit slow and was calling out to Coach
Larry Brown to come out due to fatigue, but Brown forced him to stay in and
Kennedy responded very well. He did more than just score, Kennedy was rebounding
and passing the ball well also. Markus was absolutely the highlight of this
game. That being said, SMU's defense cannot be overlooked. They held Memphis to
just 59 points and 23-53 shooting; and held Austin Nichols, who had 28 points
on Saturday, to just 11 points tonight.




The Lowlight: SMU had multiple opportunities to put Memphis
away for good throughout the game but didn't. It wasn't until Ben Moore threw
down a monstrous dunk as he got fouled, knocked down the free throw and put SMU
up 18 with just under four minutes to go that they started to put the game in
the bag. Looking down the road, SMU has to capitalize on these early leads and
put their opponents away early in order to separate themselves from a good team
to a great team.


What it means: This was a good win for SMU. However, the
takeaway from this game is more about Memphis not being the same Memphis that
we are accustomed to seeing. SMU has played very well as of late, winning 9 out
of their last 10 games, as they go on another road trip to UCF and then to
Temple. Question marks still loom over SMU whether or not they're an elite team,
but we will find out a lot more about them in the next week or so.
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My 2015 New Year's Resolutions

R
1. Don't criticize Morris during the 2015 season---he has the Herculean job of shoveling out the Aegean stables and his recruits won't, realistically, contribute until 2016 season---maybe.

2. Don't get down on Athletic admin---they have to see the handwriting on the wall---see earlier post---and one must assume they are doing the best they can given the constraints they operate under. HOWEVER, I do wish there was just a little more transparency as to plans and priorities.

3. Shoot a Soccer match and a Swim Meet---hear SMU's pretty good. Oh yeah, a Lady 'Stangs BB game, too. Sorry, I do not know where the Equestrian venue is.

4. Continue to prod FB coaches to scout East Texas----as many of you know, my son works as a sports writer at East Texas Sports Network (www.ETSN.fm) --- check it out, it's free---and I have had the opportunity to see a lot of East Texas high school FB games (ETSN contracted me as a photography stringer). There's a lot of overlooked talent in that "neck of the woods"---all going to La. Tech, ULM, SFA, etc., if they get a scholarship at all.

5. Lose 15 more pounds----my wife has put me a starvation diet--500 calories per day. Lost 15 already---but, man, I'm hungry!
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Press conference notes: Larry Brown

nathanbaldwin
"Tonight we took care of the ball better.""We got a little bit anxious when we got a big lead"Says Memphis is a quality team and SMU needed that win"He's way behind" - on Markus KennedySaid Kennedy trying to fit into the system has been hard for the other bigsSaid Kennedy is not in shape but is trying hardNoted Frazier's strong game as a reason for Sterling Brown and Justin Martin not playing usual minutesSaid Emelogu has been better in practice and this game improved his confidence"I don't enjoy this" - on cutting minutes of Cannen Cunningham and others"Until Markus gets in shape, until we can figure out the rotation that we think is best for our team, it's a work in progress"
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New Men's Soccer Coach?

M
Rumor is it is the asst HC Kevin Hudson. Any color here in terms of why Clements left. Was never a fan of his but curious if he left or was forced out.

If true hart is taking a big bet on a very young asst coach. I hope he made the right call and made it a competitive process unless this is just an interim tag...

http://www.smumustangs.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/kevin_hudson_317510.html
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Unconfirmed Report

P
on the Tulsa Rivals message board that Bill Young maybe heading to the Tulsa coaching staff despite being confirmed as an SMU Coach in the press release. Looks like there was some problem with getting the Defensive Coordinator they wanted from ASU. I wonder-my speculation-whether Young could be the backup plan. If it happens Oscar Giles would be a nice replacement and he's stuck in Ruston at Louisiana Tech



This post was edited on 1/7 6:43 PM by Pony Express
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Trending Stocks: SMU-Memphis

nathanbaldwin
SMU 73, Memphis 59

Stock up: Markus Kennedy. Kennedy finally broke out of his
slump and played well on both ends of the court. He led SMU with 21 points,
including 11 in the first half. He scored in a variety of ways. Offensive
boards, drives down the lane, and face-up jumpers from the post all led to
points for Kennedy. He looked more confident and finally got in a rhythm.
Hopefully this continues for the big man.

Stock down: Justin Martin. The senior didn't record a single
minute of playing time. Larry Brown reduced the bench rotation for this game,
and unfortunately for Martin he did not make that cut.

Stock up: Ben Emelogu. Martin's lack of playing time opened
up significant minutes for Emelogu, and he took advantage of the opportunity. He
replaced his usual tentative style of play with aggression on offense and
defense. He confidently knocked down a long jumper in the first half, and
scored three points from the free throw line in the second half. He also
recorded two assists, both of which led to easy points in the paint for SMU.

Stock down: 3-point shooting. SMU only shot 1-6 from behind
the 3-point line. Nic Moore did not look to shoot the long-ball like he usually
does. But on the bright side, this lack of outside shooting led to higher
percentage shots in the paint. SMU took what the defense gave them, which
consisted of many opportunities around the rim.

Stock up: Interior defense. Memphis touts one of the most
talented frontcourt duos in the country with Austin Nichols and Shaq Goodwin.
SMU's defense held Nichols to 11 points and Goodwin to 5 points. Memphis did
not often attempt to attack one-on-one in the post. Kennedy and Yanick
Moreira's physical defense kept the Tigers from getting much going on the
inside.

Stock down: Ryan Manuel. At the start of the second half,
Manuel took a hard fall after being fouled on a lay-up attempt. He took several
minutes to get up and then was taken to the locker room. Several minutes later
he came back to the court and immediately was right back into the game. Manuel
did not look the same though. He did not seem to be favoring any particular
energy, but he just lacked the same explosiveness that Mustang fans have seen
from him all season long.
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