SMU coach Andy Enfield believes star forward B.J. Edwards' right ankle would have been ready by Friday if the Mustangs had found a way to advance out of the First Four at the NCAA Tournament.
Only SMU didn't, falling to Miami (Ohio) with the senior guard out of the lineup. The Mustangs had indicated Edwards might have been available for the tournament at large, which the NCAA selection committee indicated played a factor in giving SMU an at-large berth in the 68-team field.
Enfield brushed off the suggestion that the fact Edwards didn't play could hurt how the selection committee views the Mustangs in the future.
“We deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament if you look at all our metrics and our wins,” Enfield said. “We all thought that B.J. would be back.”
Enfield described Edwards' injury as “serious." Edwards hadn't played since tweaking the ankle against California on Feb. 25. Enfield credited Edwards for making every effort to be available by Wednesday. Instead, Edwards — who averaged 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists — was “a day short” of being cleared by SMU's medical staff.
“It was heartbreaking when he said, ‘I’m just not quite (there),'” Enfield said. “We thought he’d be right there. But it’s a very heartbreaking thing to have someone that wants to be out there and just can’t do it. It didn’t feel comfortable quite yet.”
The Mustangs (20-14) made the tournament despite an 8-10 mark in the ACC. Their resume did include wins over conference powers North Carolina and Louisville, though they also lost to struggling Syracuse.
“As far as the committee, what they’re — we deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament, bottom line,” Enfield said. “That’s pretty to the point right there.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
SMU head coach Andy Enfield watches his team play against Louisville during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
PHOENIX (AP) — Byron Buxton hit a grand slam in a 10-run fifth inning and the Minnesota Twins clobbered the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-8 on Saturday night.
Buxton has 24 homers to tie Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead. He has three career grand slams.
The Nos. 6-9 batters combined for 13 of the Twins' 20 hits, with Brooks Lee having four and missing a cycle by a home run. Victor Caratini, Luke Keaschall and Ryan Kreidler each had three hits.
The Twins had 16 hits in the fourth and fifth innings when they sent a combined 24 batters to the plate.
Minnesota started the fifth with three hits to chase Zac Gallen (3-6), who was charged with nine runs and 12 hits — both career highs — in four-plus innings to raise his ERA to 6.10.
Buxton’s home run, to right-center, came off Yilber Díaz, who gave up seven hits and seven runs. He threw 44 pitches and recorded two outs. Philip Abner relieved and got the final out of the inning.
Taj Bradley (6-3) went five innings, giving up three hits and two runs — both on Jorge Barrosa’s second homer of the season. The Twins have won five of their last six games.
Ildemaro Vargas’ three-run double was the big hit in the Diamondbacks’ five-run seventh against reliever Justin Lawrence.
Vargas, who entered midgame for defense as both teams went to the benches, eventually finished the game on the mound for Arizona, pitching 1 2/3 hitless innings.
Minnesota's Mike Paredes (0-0, 4.20) was set to face Arizona's José Cabrera, making his MLB debut, in the series finale Sunday.
This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Ryan Kreidler's last name.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Arizona Diamondbacks' Jorge Barrosa (1) celebrates his two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Minnesota Twins pitcher Taj Bradley works against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Minnesota Twins' Brooks Lee, center, gets high fives from teammates after scoring a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a grand slam with teammates Josh Bell (56) and Ryan Kreidler (5) in the fifth inning of a baseball game against Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton, right, hits a grand slam in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
