SEATTLE — When in doubt, go to your NBA prospect.
That was Maryland’s plan out of the timeout with 3.7 seconds remaining and the Terps trailing 71-70. And Derik Queen answered the call, driving left before hitting a fallaway jumper at the buzzer to give Maryland an improbable 72-71 win.
Queen confirmed after the game that it was the first buzzer-beater of his career, prompting Maryland coach Kevin Willard to say, “I wouldn’t have given him the ball if I’d known that.”
Derik Queen on why Kevin Willard is a head coach players can listen to:
“First, he did pay us the money…” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0rcVJiKydx
— Wesley Brown (@W_Brown21) March 24, 2025
With Colorado State’s loss, this is the first NCAA Tournament since 2007 with no teams seeded 11th or lower in the Sweet 16.
The Terps led for fewer than six minutes total, and it looked like they were going to head home when Colorado State’s Jalen Lake drained a 3-pointer with six seconds to play.
The most impressive part of Maryland’s win: The Terps did not own the paint despite having a major size advantage. Queen finished with a team-best 17 points, but Maryland frequently settled for outside jumpers instead of pounding the ball inside to Queen and Julian Reese. But the big men showed up when needed the most. Reese, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, had six points in the final three minutes, including four big free throws. He also grabbed a key offensive board with 20 seconds to play.
Has Maryland’s luck finally changed? The Terps’ last four losses, dating back to a trip to Northwestern in mid-January, came on the game’s final possession.
“It’s our time to make our moment happen,” Willard told his team in the huddle.
And now the Terps are headed to the Sweet 16 — their first since 2016 — despite not playing anywhere close to their best basketball. Colorado State won the rebounding battle by 10, shot better (47 percent to 42 percent) and outscored Maryland’s bench 18-2.
If the Terps put it all together next weekend in San Francisco, they could be headed for an even deeper run.
(Photo: Stephen Brashear / Imagn Images)
