SMU coach Andy Enfield denies Mustangs misled NCAA committee about extent of B.J. Edwards' injury

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)

HERNING, Denmark (AP) — The U.S. and Canada will wear generic uniforms at the upcoming women’s world championships in Denmark because of a dispute over commercial rights negotiated by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Hockey Canada said in a statement Wednesday that players must wear jerseys designed by True Hockey instead of the ones they did with Bauer that features the national team logo. A spokesperson for USA Hockey said the situation is the same.

The IIHF a little over a year ago announced an agreement with True Hockey to supply jerseys for all member associations. Hockey Canada has its own deal with Bauer and USA Hockey with CCM.

“While we have yet to see the jersey Canada will be playing in on Friday, our team remains focused on the tournament and representing our country proudly on and off the ice,” Hockey Canada said.

See AP’s full women’s hockey coverage here

FILE - United States forward Taylor Heise (27) skates with the puck during the second period in the final against Canada at the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championships in Utica, N.Y., April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)