The 11th-seeded SMU Mustangs will be without one of their key players for Wednesday night's First Four showdown in the NCAA Tournament against fellow 11-seed Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.
The Mustangs will be without the services of senior guard BJ Edwards on the floor against Miami (Ohio) due to a lower-body injury.
“NEWS: BJ Edwards won’t play tonight for SMU against Miami (OH) University in the First Four, per a source. SMU is optimistic about his availability if they advance. Corey Washington will play for SMU, he’d been considered questionable,” Pete Thamel of ESPN shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Mustangs have played their last five games without Edwards, and their play on the court over that stretch strongly suggests how much they miss one of their top playmakers, as they won just one game in that span. Edwards is third on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game. He is also second in assists and rebounding with 4.9 and 5.9 a game, respectively.
Without Edwards, the Mustangs will not have their usual lethal backcourt triumvirate, which includes Jaron Pierre Jr. and Kevin Miller.
Pierre and Miller can hold their own, but SMU would have preferred having Edwards out on the floor against a dangerous RedHawks side.
Miami (Ohio) went 31-0 in the regular season, and even though it lost in the conference tournament, it managed to earn an at-large berth. The RedHawks have something to prove, and they'll look to make a strong statement about it against SMU.
Edwards is expected to return from his injury in the 2026 edition of March Madness, but of course, the Mustangs have to take care of business against the RedHawks at UD Arena in Dayton.
