SMU basketball starts conference play Jan. 2 against East Carolina at Moody Coliseum.

The Mustangs start their conference slate on a bit of a roll, having one two in a row. Their most impressive win to date came on Dec. 15, when SMU beat Georgetown 81-73 in Washington D.C.

Against Cornell on Dec. 22, Jimmy Whitt whittled off 22 first-half points, singlehandedly outscoring the Big Red en route to an 81-53 victory.

SMU finished its non-conference slate at 8-4, winning six of its last seven games. However, the Mustangs' tournament stock took a hit early due to losses to Lipscomb, Bradley and Southern Miss. The team needs to play well in conference slate to earn a trip to a postseason tournament, because right now even the NIT looks out of reach.

It'll be helped by the fact that some of its other starters are starting to get into a groove. Isiaha Mike has scored more than ten points in five of his last six games. Ethan Chargois has done the same in five of seven games.

One of the biggest bright spots early has been Feron Hunt, who has emerged as one of the Mustangs' best rebounders. Hunt's adjustment to the speed of the college game is incredibly impressive. He's averaging 7.4 points off of the bench while securing 7.1 rebounds per game.

SMU should be healthier when it begins conference play, as the Mustangs played just three games in December. Four of its players have been injured during that span and forward Jarrey Foster has been recovering from his knee injury.

Tipoff Wednesday is at 7 P.M. C.T.