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20 Mar 2026

SMU loses First Four game to Miami (Ohio) amid questions over injured guard's status

The SMU Mustangs lost 89-76 to the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in a First Four matchup of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2025, at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Miami, the No. 16 seed as MAC regular-season and tournament champion with a 21-13 record, advanced to the first round against No. 6 Ole Miss in the Austin region.[1][2]

SMU, a No. 11 at-large seed from the ACC with a 20-12 record, entered the game without guard B.J. Edwards, who was listed as out with a left foot injury approximately two hours before tipoff, according to the team's official injury report.[3][5]

Edwards, a junior guard averaging 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 22 games during the 2024-25 season, had missed SMU's final six games prior to the tournament.[4][6]

NCAA Division I men's basketball selection committee chair Charles D. McClelland Jr. cited Edwards' expected return during the March 16 Selection Sunday telecast as a factor in SMU receiving an at-large bid over other bubble teams like VCU. "One of their important players, B.J. Edwards, they lost five of six of those games without him," McClelland said. "He's coming back. He's the third-leading scorer, a defensive player."[7][8]

SMU had informed the committee it expected Edwards to be available for the opener. In pregame notes released March 19, the program listed him as probable.[3]

After the loss, SMU coach Andy Enfield said Edwards practiced well in the days leading up but opted not to play. "He looked really good in practice today, last couple days... but I think there's a thing called game readiness, and he just didn't feel like he was quite game ready," Enfield said. Edwards indicated he would have played had SMU advanced to the first round on March 21.[1][2]