Maryland men’s basketball fans have become painfully accustomed to seeing their team fritter away big leads, surviving at the end with help of a freshman.
Four years ago, it was often Melo Trimble. Two years ago, it was one of the three freshmen who started for the Terps — Anthony Cowan Jr., Kevin Huerter or Justin Jackson.
On Tuesday night, it was Jalen Smith. The 6-foot-10 forward from Baltimore (Mount Saint Joseph) helped save the Terps in a 73-67 win over Delaware at Xfinity Center after sophomore center Bruno Fernando fouled out.
Smith finished with a double double in his college debut, scoring 19 points and securing 13 rebounds.