DALLAS — Boopie and the Mustangs could become a big hit in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
North Carolina, try as it might, couldn't stop point guard Boopie Miller, and got plenty of help from tough forward Corey Washington and the rest of its SMU teammates.
Miller scored 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and tied his career high with 12 assists; Washington scored nine of the Mustangs' first 11 points after halftime Saturday to give them the lead to stay after coach Andy Enfield wasn't even sure he would return to the court; and SMU won its ACC opener 97-83 over the No. 12 Tar Heels.
“They were able to get everything they wanted offensively. Boopie had control of the ball,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “We tried to get the ball out of his hands and guys came up and made shots, but he was still able to get the ball to his teammates in the right spot so he could do something with it.”
Miller, in his second season with the Mustangs after transferring from Wake Forest, was hampered by a foot bruise last season that caused him to miss several games during his first ACC schedule. SMU finished 24-11 overall and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
He was coming off his second triple-double of the season, the only men's player with two this season, and is healthy this time heading into ACC play.
“Every game has a circle,” Miller said. “I feel like I let my team down last year.”
SMU picks up its first win over a ranked team in Enfield's two seasons. The last game for the Mustangs had been against No. 6 Houston almost four years ago.
Miller made 10 of 13 field goals against the Tar Heels, with only two turnovers in 33½ minutes; was limited in the first half by some early fouls. On a 3-pointer in front of the SMU bench with 14½ minutes remaining, his step-back crossover caused UNC freshman standout Caleb Wilson to lose his balance and nearly fall.
“Just one of the best performances I've ever seen for a guard,” said Enfield, who previously coached in Southern California and on Florida's Gulf Coast. “Not only scoring that many points, but also 12 assists in a game in this scenario.”
Fellow point guard BJ Edwards added 15 points and six assists, with just two turnovers in nearly 39 minutes. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 13 points. The Mustangs shot 60% overall (36 of 60) and 52% (14 of 27) on 3-pointers.
Washington bumped knees with another player in the first half. Although his knee hurt, the forward said his mindset was to get the win and he knew the Mustangs needed to come out strong after halftime, when the game was tied after leading by nine points on three different occasions.
The opening stretch of the second half for Washington included two tiebreaking 3-pointers. That second 3-pointer with 17:01 left broke a 47-all tie and put SMU ahead to stay.
“He'll probably be really sore tomorrow,” Enfield said. “But for now it feels pretty good.”
