5 Adjustments SMU Mustangs Must Make Before 2015 NCAA Tournament

By Kelly Anderson

5 Adjustments SMU Mustangs Must Make Before 2015 NCAA Tournament

Larry Brown SMU Mustangs — This entire year has been a season of adjustments for the Mustangs after they lost their top recruit Emmanuel Mudiay, their second leading scorer Keith Frazier and one of their top reserves in Justin Martin. But if they want to be a team that’s going to do any damage in the tournament, they still need to make a few more adjustments before March Madness gets here. Here are the five changes Larry Brown and company will have to make.

5. Rise Up in the Big Games

Ryan Manuel SMU Mustangs

5. Rise Up in the Big Games

Ryan Manuel SMU Mustangs — They have recently started to show progress in this area with a big win over, at the time, first place Tulsa in Tulsa, and also UCONN at home with College Gameday there on campus. But too many times this year, they have faded at the end of games when they had a chance for a big win. Their losses at Indiana and Cincinnati are examples of this. They must continue to play their best, whether at home or the road, no matter who the opponent is.

4. Get Cannen Cunningham More Touches

Cannen Cunningham SMU Mustangs

4. Get Cannen Cunningham More Touches

Cannen Cunningham SMU Mustangs — When you have a solid rotation of four big men who all can score, it’s tough to get them enough touches in a single game, especially when you only have 40 minutes to do so. But Cunningham has shown that when given the opportunity, he can spark an offense with both his post play and his ability to hit the 15-foot jump shot.

3. Cut Down on the Turnovers

Nic Moore SMU Mustangs

3. Cut Down on the Turnovers

Nic Moore SMU Mustangs — Nic Moore has made tremendous strides in this area, but some of his teammates are beginning to get a little careless with the ball themselves. Larry Brown has done a tremendous job teaching them about passing lanes and making the extra pass, but far too often they try and make the perfect pass and wind up giving away free buckets on the other end of the floor. This will catch up to them in March if not corrected as every possession is important.

2. Get Marcus Kennedy in Shape

Marcus Kennedy SMU Mustangs

2. Get Marcus Kennedy in Shape

Marcus Kennedy SMU Mustangs — He’s getting closer to being in game shape, but missing the first month of the season has caused him to struggle at times during games. When he is on, it’s clear that he is by far the most skilled player on the team, but unfortunately his conditioning is keeping him from being dominant for an entire game. Kennedy playing to his ability will be the difference between an early exit or a possible deep run for this team.

1. Run More Plays for Nic Moore

Nic Moore SMU Mustangs

1. Run More Plays for Nic Moore

Nic Moore SMU Mustangs — Teams are starting to put more focus on Moore by double teaming him and taking the ball out of his hands. Whenever he drives to the basket there are always two to three guys around him, so he is forced to be more of a facilitator most of the game versus that of a scorer. But when they run screens for him and get him open, he is deadly with his shot and can take over a game at any time.

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