I know it is women’s basketball but I’ve been saying for a year that SMU is serious and is going to be a major factor in the ACC and this is more proof. Barnes is a Final Four coach and Arizona is her Alma mater and she left to go to SMU. Barnes had led Arizona to four NCAA tourneys in a row and the national title game in 2021 and she left to take over a losing program that was 10-20 (2-16) and has the distinction of being on the wrong end of the largest comeback win ever when Pitt erased a 32-point deficit to beat them in January. Barnes quote was ““Having seen the commitment and alignment on the Hilltop, I believe we can compete on the national stage and for ACC championships.”
Again, it is women’s basketball but this isn’t an insignificant development. If you look at what SMU has done in a year in the ACC it is pretty clear they have the commitment and the deep pockets backing them to be a legitimate contender annually in the ACC in football, men’s basketball and now women’s basketball. You can make a strong argument that all three programs are or will be ahead of Pitt and they are just getting started
Again, it is women’s basketball but this isn’t an insignificant development. If you look at what SMU has done in a year in the ACC it is pretty clear they have the commitment and the deep pockets backing them to be a legitimate contender annually in the ACC in football, men’s basketball and now women’s basketball. You can make a strong argument that all three programs are or will be ahead of Pitt and they are just getting started
