SMU’s night started with confidence and ended with frustration as Louisville pulled away late for an 88–74 win, flipping the script after the Mustangs controlled much of the first half.
SMU jumped out to a 12-point lead less than six minutes in and held Louisville at bay with efficient shooting, hitting 48-percent from the field and moving the ball well enough to build a 62–61 edge midway through the second half.
However, once Louisville found its footing defensively, the margin vanished quickly and decisively.
The turning point came down to pressure and possessions. SMU committed 16 turnovers, several of them live ball mistakes that fueled Louisville’s transition game and resulted in an 18–13 edge in points off turnovers. The Mustangs had one last chance to apply late pressure after a steal by B.J. Edwards with 12 seconds left, but Chuck Washington’s contested three with six seconds remaining rattled out, effectively sealing the outcome.
Louisville closed on a 10–0 run, stretching the lead to as many as 17 in the final two minutes.
Individually, SMU got balanced production, led by Miller’s 20 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting night, including a late three that marked the Mustangs’ final field goal. Semih Yigitoglu was steady inside with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds, while Edwards and Washington chipped in 13 apiece.
Still, SMU couldn’t make up for missed opportunities at the free throw line (6-of-9) and struggled to generate second chance momentum despite matching Louisville with nine offensive rebounds.
Louisville, meanwhile, leaned on depth and poise. Mikel Brown Jr. paced the Cardinals with 20 points and four assists, while Khani Rooths anchored the glass with 10 rebounds. Despite shooting just 28.6-percent from three, Louisville compensated by getting to the line 23 times and taking care of the ball with only 11 turnovers.
For SMU, the loss stings not because of effort, but because of how quickly control slipped away, a familiar lesson that against teams like Louisville, small lapses snowball fast.
For Louisville, they were able to find something defensively with their press and were aggressively attacking the rim. The Cards look to continue to build ACC momentum with a home matchup against Notre Dame on Wednesday at 7 pm.
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