Queen’s buzzer shot sends out Terrapins to Sweet 16

• Brady HendersonMar 23, 2025, 11:09 PM ET Close Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Country and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He signed up with ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.

SEATTLE– Kevin Willard wasn’t sure who to go to with Maryland’s hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16 on the line. So when the Terrapins coach called a timeout with 3.7 seconds left after Colorado State had taken a one-point lead, he asked his players in the huddle which one wanted the final shot.That’s when Derik Queen chose for him.”Often, you can draw

something up for a guy that possibly doesn’t want the basketball, and his exact words were, ‘I want the MF ball, ‘” Willard said.” So once he said that, it was a quite basic decision.”

Queen paid it off.The 6-foot-10 freshman center banked in a running, fadeaway jump shot at the buzzer to raise 4-seed Maryland to a 72-71 win in a back-and-forth thriller Sunday night at Environment Pledge Arena. Queen’s last basket in a 17-point effort sends out the Terrapins to the Sugary food 16 for the first time considering that 2016. They’ll face 1-seed Florida on Thursday.Queen became just the

fourth freshman to strike a buzzer-beating game winner in the NCAA men’s tournament since the field broadened to 64 groups in 1985, according to ESPN Research.”That was my very first game winner,”stated Queen, a prospective lottery choice in June’s NBA draft.”When coach prepared the play, my colleagues trusted me and he trusted me. I was a little bit anxious, but I understood we was due for one and I needed to– needed to– make this.”Editor’s Picks

1 Related Queen’s winning shot was the game’s 15th lead change. According to ESPN Research, that’s connected for the second most in any game in the previous 2 NCAA competitions, behind only the 16 lead modifications between Auburn and Creighton on Saturday.Maryland senior forward

Julian Reese, the sibling of WNBA All-Star Angel Reese, hit a pair of free throws to put Maryland ahead 70-68 with 22 seconds left. That sought drawing a foul while getting one of his game-high 11 rebounds. “I haven’t looked at my messages yet

, but I understand she’s probably going bananas, “Reese stated of his sister.” But as far as the rebounding running in the family, I think it’s simply a heart thing. We just play the game with a lot strength and just use our feelings on our sleeve and just try to play our hardest. I simply actually didn’t desire that to be our last game so I just actually wanted to play real hard.”Colorado State took a 71-70 lead when Jalen Lake nailed

a 3-pointer with six seconds left, leaving the 12-seed Rams one stop from their only trip to the Sugary food 16 given that the field broadened to 64 teams.That’s when Willard called timeout, still not knowing who was going to get the ball with the game on the line.Queen, seated on stage next to a set of teammates and his head coach in their postgame media sessions, confirmed to press reporters

that he had never made a game winner at any level before this one, leading Willard to insert with a remark that illuminated the space in laughter. “I wouldn’t have provided it to him if I had actually known that, “he said.But Willard was convinced in the minute that the 20-year-old Queen would deliver. “I could see everyone’s body language sort of perk up a bit because he was so positive in the fact that he desired the basketball,”Willard said.”So, it was just a basic zipper. Give him the basketball and let him go to work.”Queen took the inbounds pass and drove to his left against 6-foot-7 guard Ethan Morton before jumping off his right foot and banking in the game winner.”

There’s no chance to double him there,” Colorado State coach Niko Medved stated.”… He just captured it and put his head down on an iso. I believed we extended the catch outside the 3. He captured it and drove it. He was driving left. I thought we angled him off, forced him going ended the wrong foot, go back from whatever it was. He made it. It’s a heck of a shot. I actually do not understand what else you do to defend that.” Derik Queen made great on his request for the last shot, banking in a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to get Maryland into its first Sweet 16 because 2016. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson Medved was asked whether he believed Queen traveled. “I have not seen the video yet, “said Medved, who has been connected to the head coaching opening at Minnesota. “It’s going to be hard for me

to watch. I’m sure I will at some point. I don’t understand.

… Possibly it was, perhaps it wasn’t. However it doesn’t matter. They didn’t call one. So whether it was or it wasn’t, they didn’t call one and they never ever return and alter the call. “But once again, he made a really challenging shot. He made an actually, really challenging shot and they just made one more play than we did.”Colorado State’s Nique Clifford, who had the assist on Lake’s consent 3-pointer, led all scorers with 21 points to break the school’s single-season scoring record.Maryland got better from a bad very first half offensively, removing a 37-30 deficit with a balanced attack. All five beginners scored in double digits, with Rodney Rice scoring 16 and Reese including 15. Willard believed the Terrapins were due to win a close game. Each of their previous 4 losses had begun a game-winning shot in the final 10 seconds, including three buzzer-beaters.”These guys have actually shown such character in how they’ve gotten better,”Willard stated.”That’s all I informed them in the huddle, I stated,’Guys, for the first time, we have time left. It’s our time to sort of make our minute occur.’We hadn’t had that possibility. So, they simply got better”… I’m simply pleased for them. This is a moment they’ll keep in mind for the rest of their lives. I’m still going to be training for hopefully 10 or 12 more years. But for these guys, Ju’s a senior, DQ’s going to the pros, Rod’s going to be around with me for a while, however it’s an excellent experience for them. “Queen finished with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. “He simply has such a terrific energy about him that when you’re around him, you’re going to smile and you’re going to laugh and you’re going to hug him, “Willard said.”His teammates are the same method

. Few individuals in this world have positive energy anymore.

He’s so enjoyable to be around since he’s constantly positive.”So when he stated he desired the ball, and the method he said it, I understood something good was going to take place due to the fact that advantages happen to great individuals, and he is an excellent, fantastic person.”