SMU’s men’s basketball team is set to square off against Minnesota in the Dallas Duel on December 12, a neutral‑site contest that will take place at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The game forms part of a carefully curated non‑conference slate that features marquee matchups against Utah State, LSU, UNLV and Oklahoma, giving the Mustangs a chance to test themselves against a variety of styles before stepping into ACC play.
The schedule does more than fill the calendar; it is designed to sharpen the roster that Coach Andy Enfield has assembled in his third year at the helm. In addition to the Dallas Duel, SMU will travel to DePaul on December 5, head to UNLV in Phoenix on December 19 and finish the non‑conference stretch with a showdown against Oklahoma on December 22, each game adding a layer of preparation for the rigors ahead.
When the calendar flips to conference action, the Mustangs will navigate an 18‑game ACC slate that includes home-and-away battles with Georgia Tech and Louisville, while hitting the road to face Boston College, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The mix of venues reflects a strategic approach to both competitive balance and fan engagement across the region.
The culmination of the season will be the 2027 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, scheduled for March 9‑13 at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event will bring together the conference’s top teams in a single‑site showdown that often serves as a final audition for NCAA tournament berths.
A New Era for the Mustangs
Under Coach Enfield, SMU has already tasted success, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and notching two top‑25 victories. The program boasts a top‑9 nationally ranked transfer class, the third‑best in the ACC according to On3, and has earned multiple All‑ACC selections while ranking among the nation’s leaders in scoring, assists, field‑goal percentage and three‑point shooting. The combination of challenging non‑conference opponents, a demanding ACC schedule and the excitement of the Dallas Duel underscores a period of growth for SMU basketball. Fans and analysts alike are watching closely as the Mustangs aim to translate early‑season tests into sustained success.