The fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins defeated the 12th-seeded Colorado State Rams on Sunday night 72-71 thanks to a buzzer-beating layup from Freshman center Derik Queen, who finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. With the win, Maryland secured a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
“I asked everybody. I said ‘Who wants the ball?’ And, he [Derik Queen] said ‘Give me the MF ball,’ and I said, ‘Well alright, you’re getting it.’” explained Maryland head coach Kevin Willard in a postgame interview.
“That was my first game-winner and when Coach drew up the play, my teammates trusted me, he trusted me,” said Queen during the postgame press conference. “I was a little bit, like, nervous, but I knew we were due for one, and I had to make this.”
After finding out that this was his first-ever game-winning shot, Maryland Kevin Willard joked, “I wouldn’t have given it to him if I had known that.”
“We have all confidence in him. We knew where the ball was going to. We had to get the ball in his hands,” said senior forward Julian Reese, who ended up with 15 points and 11 rebounds. “He had the mismatch, so I feel like he just took advantage and doing the things that he usually doing. I was there for a rebound if it would have came off, and y’all saw what happened.”
DERIK QUEEN. MARCH. CINEMA.
MARYLAND BEATS COLORADO ST. AT THE BUZZER TO HEAD TO THE SWEET 16 🍿
(via @MarchMadnessMBB) pic.twitter.com/wpUElsOgqJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 24, 2025
“It feels really good, to be honest with you, because we battled back,” said Willard. “These guys have bounced back every time we’ve had a buzzer-beater. And really, the gut punch was Michigan State. These guys have shown such character in how they’ve bounced back. And, that’s all I told ’em in the huddle. I said, ‘Guys, for the first time we have time left. It’s our time to kind of make our moment happen’… I’m just happy for them. I mean, this is a moment that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Usually, a senior is the person who wants the ball in their hands for the last play of the game. This was a sign of maturity and competitiveness from a freshman center who has been so good for the Terrapins both on and off the court, explained Willard.
“I’ve talked about Derik at length,” Willard said to end the press conference. “He just has such a great energy about him. When you’re around him, you’re going to smile, you’re going to laugh, you’re going to hug him. His teammates are the same way. Not too many people in this world have positive energy anymore, and he’s so fun to be around because he’s always positive. So when he said that he wanted the ball and the way he said it, I knew something good was going to happen because good things happen to great people, and he is a great, great person.”
This Thursday, Maryland will face the number-one-seeded Florida Gators in the Sweet 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. That game will tip off at 7:39 p.m. EST.
