It's easy to focus on SMU's 10-20 record and its 4-12 mark in Conference USA and assume the season was a failure for second-year coach Matt Doherty and the Mustangs.

With seven freshmen on the roster, Doherty knew this would be a difficult season and that it would not be accurately measured in wins and losses alone. He wanted to see his team learn how to handle adversity and keep moving forward under all circumstances.

Along the way, Doherty could not help but think about the young team he put together as the head coach at North Carolina, his alma mater.

"At North Carolina we were 8-20 in my second year. Three years later, we win a national championship," said Doherty, who was not around for the championship season after being fired and replaced by Roy Williams. "It takes changing the culture, changing the environment, and obviously you have to recruit players.

"I think we have a good young crop of players coming in. The future looks bright."

Even with the prospects of a brighter future on the horizon, the Mustangs still have to replace three players, including their leader and most productive player, third-team all-conference selection Jon Killen.

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