Meet SMU, the hottest team in the country

Anyone paying attention to college basketball this year certainly is familiar with SMU, but to common fans picking their bracket, the Mustangs are a team you need to know.

The champions of the AAC regular season and conference tournament aren't sneaking up on anyone, and are actually under-seeded with the No. 6 spot in the East Region.

Here's a deeper look at a team worthy of a Sweet 16 pick.

Past tournament success: Not really

SMU has qualified for 11 NCAA tournaments in its history but haven't won a game since 1988. The Mustangs lost a one-point heartbreaker to UCLA two years ago, and sat out last year's edition due to a self-imposed postseason ban.

Could they actually win a game?

Not only should SMU win at least one game in this year's tournament, they could quite possibly make a deep run. The Mustangs are one of the hottest teams in the country having won 16 straight games entering March Madness.

In fact, SMU has only lost one game since Dec. 1st, when they sat with a 4-3 record after seven contests.

The Mustangs face the winner of the play-in game between USC and Providence, but will be a heavy favorite regardless of who they end up squaring off with. It will likely be third-ranked Baylor waiting for SMU in the second round, an opponent that actually matches up favorably for the AAC program.

Name to know: Semi Ojeleye

Semi Ojeleye is probably the best player in the country that casual fans don't know, averaging 19 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while making 42 percent of his three-pointers. He originally went to Duke before transferring to SMU, so his talent-level shouldn't sneak up on anyone.

SMU only plays six players more than 20 minutes a game, with all five averaging more than 9.8 points per contest. The starting lineup has four players that make 42 percent from beyond the arc or more, making them virtually impossible to be defended by a zone scheme.

Celebrity fan: President George W. Bush

In terms of most powerful celebrity fans in the country, it's hard to find someone that can top former President George W. Bush. The 70-year-old lives a couple of miles from the Dallas campus with his wife Laura, who happens to be a graduate and member of the school's board of trustees. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on campus. That means the T-shirt he was rocking earlier this season at a game was probably free.