Trending Now - Smu's Injury Report Raises Ethical Questions for NCAA Trust
WHO:
Andy Enfield, head coach of SMU
B.J. Edwards, guard for SMU
Keith Gill, NCAA tournament selection committee chair
Andy Enfield, head coach of SMU
B.J. Edwards, guard for SMU
Keith Gill, NCAA tournament selection committee chair
Corey Washington, forward for SMU
Miami (Ohio), opposing team in the NCAA tournament
WHAT:
SMU released a statement on March 12th, 2026, stating that "B.J. Edwards is expected to return to competition and be available for the NCAA Tournament."
Keith Gill noted that SMU's selection was influenced by the belief that Edwards would be playing, stating, "One of their important players, (BJ) Edwards, lost five of six of those games... He's coming back."
B.J. Edwards did not play in SMU's season-ending loss to Miami (Ohio) on March 18th, 2026.
Edwards had missed SMU's final five games due to a right ankle injury.
Edwards averaged 12.7 points and 4.9 assists during the season.
SMU finished with 15 assists and made 5 of 21 3-point attempts against Miami (Ohio).
SMU was selected as the final at-large team for the NCAA tournament.
WHERE:
UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
SMU (Southern Methodist University)
WHEN:
SMU's final injury report was released two hours before their game on March 18th, 2026, listing Edwards as ‘out’.
B.J. Edwards suffered his injury on February 25th, 2026.
SMU released a statement about Edwards' availability on March 12th, 2026.
The NCAA tournament selection show occurred on March 13th, 2026.
SMU played against Miami (Ohio) on March 18th, 2026.
WHY:
The NCAA selection committee's decision to include SMU was based on the expectation that Edwards would be available for the tournament, which raised questions about the transparency of injury reports from teams.
The selection committee believed Edwards' potential return influenced SMU's inclusion in the tournament.
Keith Gill stated that SMU lost five of six games without Edwards, impacting their selection.
HOW:
Enfield stated, "He looked really good in practice today, last couple days, he shot the ball well... but I think there's a thing called game readiness, and he just didn't feel like he was quite game ready."
SMU released a statement on social media regarding Edwards' expected return to competition.
Enfield indicated that Edwards was not "game ready" despite showing improvement in practice.
(UPDATED March 19, 2026 19:23 UTC)
In a recent statement, SMU announced that guard B.J. Edwards is expected to return to competition for the NCAA Tournament, a decision that influenced the selection committee's choice to include the team. However, just two hours before their game last Monday, SMU's injury report listed Edwards as ‘out,’ raising concerns about the transparency of such reports. Coach Andy Enfield noted that while Edwards looked good in practice, he didn't feel quite ready for game action yet.
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(UPDATED March 19, 2026 11:15 UTC)
In a disappointing end to their season, SMU lost to Miami (Ohio) in the NCAA tournament on March 18, 2026, without guard B.J. Edwards, who missed the final five games due to a right ankle injury sustained on February 25. Despite averaging 12.7 points and 4.9 assists during the season, Edwards was not deemed "game ready" by head coach Andy Enfield, even though he showed some improvement in practice. The selection committee had included SMU in the tournament, believing that Edwards' potential return could have made a difference, but the team struggled, finishing with just 15 assists and hitting only 5 of 21 three-point attempts in the game.