They've gotten a pep talk from a former president, had NFL stars sit courtside at their games and been visited by an NBA legend.
But what motivates SMU's basketball players the most are pictures from a year ago that are hung in their lockers. They are the faces of dejection on Selection Sunday as the Mustangs learned they were not chosen to play in the NCAA Tournament, despite many prognosticators having them in the field of 68.
Fast forward a year and SMU is finally in the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs will face UCLA on Thursday and they will be favored to win as a No. 6 seed.
However, the pictures from a year ago still serve as a reminder to SMU's players to take nothing for granted.
"The pictures were put up by coaches, and it's just something to motivate us," SMU guard Ryan Manuel said during Wednesday's press conference in Louisville, where the Mustangs play Thursday. "It stands right in front of our locker when we get dressed every day. It's something that we look at and see every day before we go out for practice."
One of the factors that kept the Mustangs out of the NCAA Tournament last year was an upset loss to Houston in their first game of the American Athletic Conference tournament. This year, with an even stronger NCAA resume that virtually assured an at-large bid, a determined SMU (27-6) won the AAC tournament and the automatic bid that comes with it.
"I think missing the [NCAA] Tournament last year has kind of helped us to take it one game at a time," SMU center Cannen Cunningham said. "We knew every game this season was going to help us build a resume to get here if we weren't going to win the conference tournament. So a lot more focus this year."
The Mustangs have maintained focus despite SMU becoming a popular place for celebrities to hang out. Tony Romo, Jason Witten and coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys have sat courtside. So has former President George W. Bush, who visited the team on Monday to wish them well (former First Lady Laura Bush is an SMU alum, and Bush's presidential library is on the SMU campus).
Former NBA great Allen Iverson has also spoken to the Mustangs, a subject which always prompts joking questions about the importance of practice.
The Iverson connection is SMU coach Larry Brown, the 74-year-old Hall of Famer who seemingly knows everyone in basketball, Brown has also seemingly coached everywhere, including at UCLA.
Brown coached the Bruins to the 1980 NCAA final, losing to Louisville. It was so long ago, the game has virtually no bearing on Thursday's matchup. Brown merely recalled feeling the weight of following in the coaching footsteps of the legendary John Wooden.
"I never felt comfortable calling myself 'Coach' at UCLA," Brown said.
After being left out of the NCAA field a year ago, SMU faces a team that's drawing criticism for being in the tournament. UCLA's NCAA resume is a little light after going 20-13. The 11th-seeded Bruins have been hearing they don't belong since Sunday.
"It's a lot of motivation," said Kevon Looney, UCLA's gifted, 6-9 freshman. "Everybody doesn't think we deserve to be here, and I think we're going to try to prove them wrong."
The Bruins could take a lesson from SMU in turning disrespect into motivation.
"It's helped us a lot," Manuel said of last year's NCAA snub. "I think that's just pushed us to play this year harder and play every game like it's a Game 7 in the NBA. I think it's helped us come out and play into the Tournament."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
