It's tournament day for SMU men's basketball.
More than 30 days after playing a game. And more than two months after being coached by Tim Jankovich, who had a battle with COVID-19.
Still, it's tournament day for the Mustangs. The AAC Tournament has tipped off, and the Mustangs are geared for a 2 p.m. quarterfinal-round clash with Cincinnati.
For the moment, that's all anyone wearing SMU Red and Blue can ask for.
"It's difficult times. I feel mostly bad for our players," Jankovich said. "I'm proud of what they accomplished. I just wish we would have had a chance to fight our way and scratch our way up the ladder."
None of that will matter if the Mustangs can take care of business this weekend at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The first test is this afternoon, as SMU takes on a Cincinnati team that owns a victory over the Mustangs earlier this year.
SMU is ranked the fourth seed in the tournament. Cincinnati is seeded fifth. The winner takes on either top-seeded Wichita State or No. 8 seed South Florida. in a Saturday-afternoon semifinal.
Pride is on the line for an SMU team that hasn't been on the court since Feb. 8, when it defeated East Carolina on the road. An at-large NCAA Tournament bid is still a topic of discussion, as SMU is a team on the bubble, but winning the AAC Tournament will silence any at-large discussions -- as well as their critics.
"We can't dwell on anything in the past. Our main focus is Friday," forward Feron Hunt said. "Win all three [tournament games], and we won't have to worry about all that."
The task at hand won't be easy. Cincinnati beat SMU, 76-69, in January, using a 15-4 run in the final four minutes to stun the Mustangs.
Plus, as Jankovich noted, the Bearcats have a storied history and will look to write a new chapter this weekend.
"It's Cincinnati basketball, one of the winningest programs ever," Jankovich said. "Always a tough opponent, and we have a lot of respect for them."
AAC TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINAL ROUND
No. 4 SMU vs. No. 5 Cincinnati
2 p.m. CT Friday
Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN2 (also available on WatchESPN)
Radio: KAAM (770 AM)
Internet: Click here
SMU (11-4): The Mustangs return to the court for the first time since Feb. 8 after dealing with COVID-19 pauses. Whether they'll be rusty or rested is still to be determined. G Kendric Davis (17.7 ppg, 7.6 apg, 4.1 rpg) was named a first-team all-AAC selection, and F Feron Hunt (11.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) was named a third-team all-AAC selection on Wednesday. The Mustangs technically are on a two-game win streak but haven't played since beating East Carolina in conference play.
Cincinnati (10-10): The Bearcats earned the fifth seed in the tournament and will play SMU after beating East Carolina, 82-69, last Sunday. G Keith Williams (15.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) leads the team in scoring, but players like G/F Jeremiah Davenport (11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Mika Adams-Woods (8.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) have shown themselves to be reliable scorers. G Mason Madsen (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is coming off a 19-point performance off the bench against East Carolina.
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