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The Maryland Terrapins got some terrible news when it was reported that Evan Smotrycz had broken his fifth metatarsal and would be out six-to-eight weeks to start the season. The six-to-eight week estimate some doctors estimate may be on the longer end of things.

Smotrycz represented one of the Terps two senior starters and figured to play a much larger role this season as he prepped for more playing time. By most accounts, he was in shape and going to have his best year yet as the Terps unquestioned starting power forward. This would also be one of the few seasons Maryland would be getting a fully healthy team to start the year (last year it was Seth Allen’s foot). Not so, it seems.

For a Terps front court that already lost one potential player in Trayvon Reed before the season, the Terps losing Smotrycz is a particularly difficult pill to swallow. Maryland has used the majority of their contingency plans to this point, and this is one that has a pretty fair chance of hurting depending on how long Smotrycz is out for.

But is an injury like this going to entirely derail Maryland’s chances at the postseason? Did the injury come at the best possible time? Let’s dig into some of those factors:

1.) The schedule makes this injury barely sustainable

Even a pessimist can look at Maryland’s schedule and at least moderately agree that the Terps won’t need Smotrycz in (if we’re counting exhibition games) ten of their first 13 games. SF State, Bowie State, Wagner, Central Connecticut, Fordham, Monmouth, VMI, Winthrop, N.C. Central, and USC Upstate are all winnable games that are played before a December 21 matchup with Oklahoma State.

Arizona State, Alabama/Iowa State, and Virginia are considered tough matchups, but even those games are potentially winnable on talent alone (which Maryland has an abundance of). UVA isn’t the same team as they were last year, and that should work to Maryland’s advantage here.

Of course, Smotrycz really needs to be back in time for Oklahoma State on December 21, and he’s really got to be back in time for Michigan State on December 30. Those two games are necessary early season wins that Maryland has got to have if they want to be in the NCAA tournament. That is, unless they roll off a ton of victories in Big Ten play.

Another unspoken result of this is that Smotrycz played a decent amount of minutes last year and completely broke down. His bum back was one of the biggest reasons why Maryland lost to Florida State in the ACC tournament. Their front court got eaten alive. Perhaps taking a few games off Smotrycz schedule will leave him fresher down the road. Rushing him back is a bad idea, but having him slightly more nimble to end the year could help a late run.

2.) Maryland’s versatility will help here big time

Let’s be honest, Jake Layman and Evan Smotrycz aren’t that far from one another in terms of playing style. Layman might be slightly shorter and weigh a bit less, but he’s also a stretch four or a slower three; those are realistically the two positions that Layman can play. His length alone will allow you to play him at the four, and he’s an adept help defender and blocker when playing that role too.

Maryland may not have one single perfect solution, but it’s got some pretty good options. Layman slides over to the four and Maryland plays with two stretch guys as Cekovsky or Dodd starts, Wells plays small forward, Pack starts at shooting guard, and Trimble starts at point. That lineup right there is very good, very adept, and defensively not incredibly weak. There really aren’t a ton of dominant, back-to-the-basket guys anymore and Maryland will benefit from that. What they lack in size, they make up for in sheer athleticism on the court.

3.) Maryland is going to know what they have from their young guys very quickly, which should work out minutes by itself.

Injuries are never wished for, but sometimes I find myself in awe at the chain reactions that result from them. For some paper tiger teams, an injury to a key player collapses their entire season in one fell swoop. For those squads, it was just bound to happen eventually.

But then some teams – good, deep teams – use it as an example to prove they’re truly a resilient team, and use it as a great opportunity to showcase some younger talent they’ve got waiting in the firing bay. I suspect the Terps could be the latter here, this year more than most.

Smotrycz going out is going to open up a lot of minutes for Dodd, Cekovsky, Nickens, and Wiley against some pretty easy competition. The benefit is that Maryland’s staff can evaluate what these young guns can do against inferior talent. If they can’t do it against the creampuffs on the schedule, at least the Terps know not to rely on them too much against the tougher opponents.

Dodd is going to need to prove he is the guy early on, otherwise Maryland might be better served looking elsewhere. Nickens and Wiley are going to have to prove they can hit the few shots they get as well, and I think at least one of these guys may surprise everyone with their play.

Michael Willis
Michael Willis

D.C. resident. Graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia (four year letterman in hockey) and University of Maryland, College Park. Played three years of ice hockey at Maryland. Former writer for Washington Wizards blog (TheDCDime.com), current hockey coach at Gonzaga College Preparatory School. Terrapin nut. Editor of Terrapin Station.

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