After his team’s Saturday afternoon in Dallas, Memphis coach Tubby Smith has 40 minutes of game film to study the gap his program must close to once again contend for an American Athletic Conference championship, to say nothing of higher levels of measurable success. The SMU Mustangs may as well have been instructors to the Tiger trainees, the game decided by halftime with the home team leading by 24 (48-24).
The Tigers’ regular season concludes with an overall record of 19-12 and a 9-9 mark in the AAC. The U of M has lost six of its last eight games and will limp into the AAC tournament quarterfinals for their next game Thursday night in Hartford.
The game featured a matchup of the two leading contenders for AAC Player of the Year. SMU junior Semi Ojeleye scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Tiger sophomore Dedric Lawson had 13 points and five rebounds. Mustang guard Sterling Brown led all scorers with 26 points as SMU became the first team to score 100 against Memphis this season.
The Mustangs shot 61 percent from the field and held the Tigers to 34 percent as they clinched the AAC’s regular-season championship. They’ll enter the AAC tourney as the top seed with an overall record of 27-4 and a league mark of 17-1.
Jeremiah Martin scored 12 points for Memphis and Keon Clergeot added 14 off the bench.
