At nearly the same moment that Maryland freshman guard Eric Ayala’s 70-foot desperation heave sailed over the basket and bounced off the top of the backboard Saturday afternoon at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jalen Smith dropped his head in stunned disbelief.
Tears began to drip from the freshman forward’s goggle-protected eyes.
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Smith blamed himself for the sixth-seeded Terps losing to third-seeded LSU, 69-67, on a last-second layup by sophomore guard Tremont Waters in the NCAA tournament Round of 32. The defeat denied Maryland a trip home to the Sweet 16 in Washington.