[ UH BASKETBALL ]
SMU looking to
turn it aroundThe Mustangs search for
consistency as they prepare
to face Hawaii
Part of the challenge facing Southern Methodist coach Mike Dement in preparing for tomorrow's Western Athletic Conference basketball game with Hawaii is figuring out which Mustang squad will show up at Moody Coliseum.
Will it be the squad that opened its home schedule by beating Bobby Knight's Texas Tech team and went on the road to knock off Purdue? Or will it be the group that lost to Appalachian State at home and has dropped three of its last four games?
Hawaii at SMU
When: Tomorrow, 3:05 p.m. Hawaii timeWhere: Moody Coliseum
TV: None
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics.hawaii.edu
The answer will likely determine whether SMU can break a two-game skid or if Hawaii will earn its third straight win.
"We've had problems with our consistency game to game, even half to half," Dement said in this week's WAC teleconference. "So that's our biggest challenge this week, trying to respond to a very good Hawaii team."
The Rainbow Warriors arrived in Dallas on Sunday and are in search of their second victory on their current road trip.
UH opened the trip with a win at San Jose State on Saturday and enters tomorrow's contest at 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the WAC. The three-game tour concludes Saturday at Louisiana Tech.
SMU (7-6, 1-2 WAC) returns home for just its fifth game at Moody Coliseum this season and is looking to get back on track after losing two road games last week.
Following a home win over Tulsa last Tuesday, SMU lost at Fresno State (54-53) and at Nevada (84-74). But, as their early-season success indicates, the Mustangs are capable of turning their fortunes around in a hurry.
"They've got five guys that can score," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "They're athletic, they're big and they've played good competition this year."
UH was able to counter SJSU's slow-down style on Saturday, but the 'Bows will have to pick up the pace against a Mustang team led by point guard Bryan Hopkins that will look to race down the court.
"That's always their first option," UH point guard Logan Lee said. "So we're coming out expecting to have to get back in our transition defense."
The task of defending Hopkins, the Mustangs' leading scorer with 16.4 points per game, will fall to Lee and Jason Carter, who share point guard duties for UH.
Hopkins was the WAC Freshman of the Year last season and a preseason All-WAC selection this season. His 35-point outing against Miami of Ohio is the best in the conference this season and he's coming off a 25-point performance against Nevada on Saturday.
Although this will be Lee's first game against SMU as a Rainbow Warrior, he played against Hopkins in summer leagues when they were Texas high school standouts.
"We know he's a threat, he's a leader of their team, he's the energizer," said Lee, a native of San Antonio.
"Both of our games have grown so much (since high school). He's more of a legit scorer and he's gotten bigger. I'm growing into that college role and I'm still learning a little. I'm looking forward to playing him because he's a good guard."
While Hopkins is the focal point of the Mustangs' offense, Dement is concerned with the production of the other players on the floor.
Forwards Patrick Simpson and Eric Castro have been consistent contributors with 10.5 points per game. But guard Justin Isham, who had been among the team's scoring leaders in the non-conference schedule, has gone scoreless in the last two games while attempting just five shots from the field.
"Hopkins played well for us the last two games, but that's about it," Dement said. "We need a lot more out of (Isham)."
UH guard Michael Kuebler continues to lead the WAC in scoring (19.8 ppg), and the Rainbows have had at least three players score in double figures in 10 games this season. They shot 60 percent in the first half against San Jose State and 51 percent in the game.
Reserve forward Jeff Blackett is coming off his best game of the year, a 19-point outing on Saturday. Carter had a season-high 14 points and no turnovers.
Hawaii's offense will operate against an SMU team that struggled defensively against Nevada, which made 62 percent of its shots from the field against the Mustangs on Saturday.
"Hawaii has always been a tremendously efficient offensive team running their flex, running the different sets that they run and shooting high percentages, and scoring a lot of points," Dement said.
