Throughout the season, Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon has expressed his desire to give guard Serrel Smith more playing time.
With Anthony Cowan and Eric Ayala leading the Terps’ backcourt, and Aaron Wiggins featuring prominently off the bench, opportunities for Smith have been few and far between in his rookie campaign.
But the door opened against Ohio State on Saturday, when Ayala checked out with 4:49 left in the first half due to an illness. With the team’s starting point guard largely out of the picture, Smith played an integral role off the bench, scoring a career-high 14 points as Maryland held off the Buckeyes’ comeback bid.
“You tell guys to be ready when their number is called,” Turgeon said. “He exemplified that today.”
[Read more: No. 24 Maryland men’s basketball pulls away from Ohio State for 72-62 win]
Outside of a 21-minute, 11-point outing against Rutgers, Smith hadn’t been a major factor in Maryland’s Big Ten slate. Heading into Saturday, he’d averaged 7.6 minutes in his previous five games.
Smith surpassed that total in the first half alone against the Buckeyes. He supplied the final six Maryland points before intermission as Ayala made his way down the tunnel to the locker room prematurely.
“We have the next-man-up mentality,” Cowan said. “Serrel has been doing great in practice, so he was ready for the moment.”
After checking in with 2:41 left in the first, Smith found himself with ample room in the left corner against Ohio State’s zone defense. So, when the Buckeyes collapsed toward Bruno Fernando at the post, the forward dished out to Smith for the trey.
The next time down the floor, miscommunication between Smith and forward Ricky Lindo allowed guard Keyshawn Woods to hit a 3-pointer that left Turgeon bickering on the sideline. But Smith soon made up for the mishap with a free throw and a layup at the end of a dribble-drive from the right wing, pushing the Terps’ lead back to five at the half.
[Read more: Anthony Cowan broke his slump and helped Maryland basketball end its notorious streak]
When Turgeon told his squad at halftime that Ayala was ill and they’d need to soldier on without him, Smith answered the call.
“Eric means a lot for our offense,” Smith said. “Lot of shots, he’s very aggressive. So I just tried to come in with that same mindset.”
The Terps extended their lead to 16 midway through the second half, aided by a jumper and free throw from Smith. But the Buckeyes clawed their way back in, taking advantage of Maryland turnovers and hitting three straight threes to narrow the deficit to 57-55.
On the possession after forward Justin Ahrens’ triple with 5:27 to play, Smith was fouled on a three-point attempt of his own. He nailed all three tries from the line, giving the Terps back a five-point edge they’d only build on en route to a 72-62 win.
Turgeon has been looking for opportunities for Smith. He wanted the freshman to get more time on the court in Tuesday’s 66-65 victory over No. 21 Iowa, but he featured for only six minutes.
“I don’t really worry about any of that,” Smith said. “I just wait until he calls my name, try to always stay ready.”
Smith was ready on Saturday. Without a mainstay guard on the floor for 30 minutes, Maryland leaned on its depth at the position, helping to separate the sides in the first half and quell another comeback attempt in the second.
“He really stepped up and you could see from the beginning that he was going to play well,” Turgeon said. “He’s one of the first guys in the gym and one of the last guys to leave, so for him to be rewarded in a big game like that and on a big stage is terrific.”
