The Southern Methodist University Mustangs had a historic season in 2014-15. The team made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than twenty years while winning the AAC Tournament championship last year. The Mustangs announced Friday that they would be participating in the annual Las Vegas Classic this season.
According to College Basketball Talk, the Mustangs will join seven other teams to participate in the annual Classic that takes place days before Christmas. The Mustangs join Colorado, Penn State, Kent State, Canisius, ULM, Nicholls State, and Hampton. The Pirates are the only other team that made the NCAA Tournament last season to be invited to the Classic.
The 2014 Classic was won by Loyola (Ill.) who beat Boise State in the championship game. The Mustangs hope to be that team in 2015.
The Mustangs hope to erase the memory of the controversial loss to the UCLA Bruins in the Round of 64 last season. They return Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy from last season. A win in the Classic would do wonders for the team.
SMU will be one of the three “host” schools along with Penn State, Colorado, and Kent State. Each host school will get two home games before the final round of the tournament in Las Vegas.
