Entering Wednesday night’s NCAA Men’s Tournament First Four game against Miami of Ohio, the SMU Mustangs find themselves in the middle of a controversy.
The controversy surrounds guard BJ Edwards and his status for the game. The idea that Edwards would be back in time for this game was floating around. As it turns out, Edwards will not play at all. This matter also puts SMU head coach Andy Enfield in the spotlight.
Why SMU Basketball Faces Heat Over BJ Edwards’ Injury Status
On Wednesday, Lia Assimakopoulos, who covers SMU for The Dallas Morning News, reported that Edwards would not be able to play. That, in turn, led longtime Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw to share his thoughts in a post on X.
“Oops,” Cowlishaw posted on Wednesday. “Committee chairman makes a point of saying SMU was last team on bubble but was getting Edwards back. He isn’t back. Wonder how adamant Mustangs were in telling committee their best defender would be OK. How shady is Hilltop?”
Oops. Committee chairman makes a point of saying SMU was last team on bubble but was getting Edwards back. He isn’t back. Wonder how adamant Mustangs were in telling committee their best defender would be OK. How shady is Hilltop? https://t.co/sdAC89QU5S
Tim Cowlishaw (@TimCowlishaw) March 18, 2026
The College Basketball Content account on X shared a clip of NCAA Selection Committee chairman Keith Gill, the Sun Belt Conference commissioner, discussing the Edwards situation during his appearance on CBS Sports on Sunday.
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“SMU openly lied and fooled the selection committee to get into the tournament,” the account wrote, along with sharing the clip.
SMU openly lied and fooled the selection committee to get into the tournament 😭 https://t.co/bSgUhWX9gi pic.twitter.com/6Rf3ocz3Jh
College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) March 18, 2026
But the College Basketball Content account wasn’t done sharing data regarding SMU’s games without Edwards. “This is without BJ Edwards, btw he’s not playing tonight after SMU said he was,” the account posted on X.
This is without BJ Edwards, btw he’s not playing tonight after SMU said he was https://t.co/SbmkOhHjj2 pic.twitter.com/jiTlEsTDq9
College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) March 18, 2026
Sean Paul, a basketball writer for Field of 68 Daily, also had some thoughts that he shared on X regarding the Edwards injury situation at SMU. “Lmao,” Paul wrote. “SMU played the selection committee like crazy. That press release saying Bj Edwards will be back for the tourney is why they got in – and now he’s not playing lol.”
Lmao. SMU played the selection committee like crazy. That press release saying Bj Edwards will be back for the tourney is why they got in — and now he’s not playing lol
Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) March 18, 2026
Paul also had additional comments on the Edwards matter. He posted this on X: “Tbh, I think this situation will totally changed how the selection committee views injuries for bubble teams. They said SMU was in based on Edwards playing. If it’s a toss up, I can’t imagine them trusting an injury update again from a fringe tourney team.”
Matthew Winick, a college basketball analyst and consultant who also handles content for Basket Under Review, thinks that SMU should have been dismissed from the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Winick shared his thoughts in a post on X.
If SMU snuck into the tournament because they lied and said BJ Edwards would play… I think they deserved to get kicked out and replaced with Oklahoma. https://t.co/zbAnluc7gO
Matthew Winick (@matthewwinick) March 18, 2026
“If SMU snuck into the tournament because they lied and said BJ Edwards would play… I think they deserved to get kicked out and replaced with Oklahoma,” Winick wrote.
According to reports, SMU will have Corey Washington available for Wednesday night’s game against Miami of Ohio. But the Edwards story might not be over, whether SMU wins or loses.
