Maryland basketball saves heroics for NCAA Tournament, down Colorado State on Queen's buzzer-beater to punch ticket to Sweet 16

Oliver Schaack
Mar 23
7 min read

For the first time since 2016, Maryland punched their ticket to the Sweet 16, knocking the Rams out of the dance with a 72-71 walk-off victory in Seattle. Yes, for once, Maryland benefitted from a buzzer-beating shot.

Derik Queen got the scoring started for Maryland with a top of the key three, but the Rams came out hot on the other end making their first five shots from the floor. Queen hit a second three to give his Terps an early 8-6 lead. The problem was Colorado State just could not miss to start, going the first four minutes without a miss. They took a 12-8 lead into the first media timeout, with Jalen Lake accounting for eight of those 12 points.

Out of the media break, Maryland struggled to find offense and continued their cold start from the floor, similar to a few days ago against Grand Canyon. The Terps missed six of their first nine shots from the field, and a Bowen Born layup extended the Rams lead to six while on an 8-0 run.

A Jordan Geronimo slam ended the run for the Rams, but not much else was working through the first eight minutes of action. Colorado State was able to take advantage on the offensive end, and hold an 18-10 lead early. Maryland seemingly had no answer for the Rams midway through the first half.

The shooting woes became an epidemic for the Terps, shooting 27% through the first nine and a half minutes. The Rams continued to take advantage and steadily grow their lead, which got as high as 12 before the 10 minute mark.

Queen was the only source of light for Maryland with 10 of his team’s first 14 points. Reese connected on his first basket with a hook shot, and was followed by Rodney Rice’s first points of the game on a three from the wing. The lead was cut down to five for the Rams, and Maryland finally had momentum only trailing 24-19, fueled by a 7-0 Terps run. Selton Miguel extended the run to 10-0 with a three of his own, but the scoreless run was ended by a Nique Clifford finish at the rim. The Rams hot start subsided, and at the 5:21 mark, Colorado State only led by four.

Another Reese hookshot cut the lead to two, and both teams were scrambling to gain any momentum heading into the locker room. Kyan Evans then hit a dagger from deep, his first of the game. Every time that Maryland closed in on the Rams lead, Niko Medved’s squad had an answer.

Out of the final media timeout, both squads had three minutes and 42 seconds to build a sizable lead heading into the half. Queen was the only Terp in the first half that caused problems for the Rams, who were able to hold off a late half surge for Maryland. The Terps had 20 minutes remaining in their season, trailing 37-30 and seemingly no answer on offense to slow down the Rams.

Two glaring stats for the Terps in the first half were first, outside of Queen’s 12 points on 5/7 shooting, Maryland shot 8/24 from the floor. The second concern for Maryland was the goose egg from the free throw line. The goose egg was not for makes, however. It was for attempts, as Maryland failed to get to the line the entire first half. Colorado State only had three free throw attempts, as it was clear the refs were going to let both teams play through contact.

The second half started and Rice got it going for Maryland with two threes, but nothing was stopping the Rams on the other end. Similar to the first half, the Rams started hot from the floor out of the gate. Queen and Rice connected on back-to-back possessions and Maryland continued to make shots. But it was a Reese finish, who had a quiet half, that brought the fire back to the Terps. Reese finished the three point play and made it a two point game once again, at 46-44.

To say the next few minutes was a see-saw affair does not do this stretch of basketball justice. Both teams were fighting and clawing for a lead. The Rams, although narrow, had that lead with 11:35 remaining with a 54-52 grasp over the Terps. The back-and-forth slugfest continued with neither team pulling away. The Rams continued to be a pest that would not go away, and a 6-0 run gave them a 60-57 lead that led to Maryland timeout with 8:31 remaining.

Even with the run, the game was well within reach for Maryland who played much less cohesively up to this point in the game compared to Colorado State.

The rebounding that has plagued Maryland continued to hurt the Terps immensely, especially with the second chances for the Rams, who led the rebounding battle at 34-22 with 6:23 remaining. There was only so much time for Maryland to figure something out, with everything on the line.

With four and a half minutes remaining, Maryland trailed by five, at 64-59. Gillespie answered the bell with a big three from the wing to cut the lead to two. A Queen block on the other end led to the Terps running in transition and a Rice finish at the rim to tie things up at 64. It was the first time in a long time that Maryland had a sense of urgency on the court.

The final media timeout came with three minutes and four seconds remaining with a tie ball game. Maryland looked for a return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years, and the Rams looked to make history of their own with a Cinderella plot line.

Reese was fouled and sent to the line, and converted on both attempts to give Maryland a two point lead at 66-64. A stop on the other end then led to another Reese basket, and the 9-0 run at this point gave the Terps the tunnel vision to the finish line, and a 68-64 lead.

The Terps have had a season of late-game disasters and buzzer-beaters. Following suit, the Rams rattled off four straight in a matter of moments, and just like that we were tied. For reference, Maryland was 14-4 coming into tonight’s matchup and all four losses were by buzzer-beater finish or game-winning shot finish.

With just over 45 seconds remaining, the Rams played incredible defense leading to a forced Miguel three point attempt that missed. Luckily for Maryland, Reece, the veteran big-man in possibly his final collegiate game, came up with the biggest offensive rebound of his career, and in the process was fouled, sending Maryland’s heart and soul to the free throw line.

Maryland, as a state, a school, and a program, gave their fate to Reese to come through on. Of course, the big man came through and made both. Maryland held a two-point lead, at 70-68. The Rams dribbled the clock out to 12 seconds exactly and called a timeout.

One last stop for the Terps was all they needed, and all that Terps Nation prayed for.

But just as the season had gone for Maryland, last-second heroics for the opposition were too strong. Lake, with more than enough space, knocked down a three to give Colorado State a one point lead. Maryland called a timeout, and had 3.6 remaining to make a miracle happen for a birth in the Sweet 16.

Most college programs, in this situation, call for a veteran to make it happen, like Reese. Or maybe they’d call for a senior at bare minimum for the shot to advance. But how about your five-star freshman to make something happen? Because why not, right?

Derik Queen. Off the glass.

Game.

Set.

Match.

Finally, Maryland came out on top of a buzzer-beater finish.

Queen, who says it was the first game-winner of his playing career, battled nerves on that final attempt, but the rest of his teammates knew he was the man for the job.

“First, that was my first game-winner and when Coach drew up the play, my teammates trusted me, he trusted me. I was a little bit, like, nervous, but I knew we were due for one and I had to make this.”

Willard jokingly made it clear had he known that it was his first buzzer-beater, but who cares? The freshman sensation from Baltimore did what makes him so special and showed out on the brightest stage, and he made it clear that he wanted the ball according to Willard.

“He was the first one and he was very enthusiastic about wanting the basketball. And again, I know he's only a freshman, I know this is a big stage, but Rodney's never been in the NCAA Tournament, Ja'Kobi's never been in the NCAA Tournament. Hard to run a play at the end of the game for a six-eleven center like Ju, so when he said he wanted the basketball, it just made it pretty simple.”

Willard also advances to his first Sweet 16 of his coaching career, and advances Maryland to their first Sweet 16 in almost a decade.

Reese, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, was beyond confident about the freshman phenom, and was not at all shocked with that buzzer-beater finish.

“Yeah, we have all confidence in him. We knew where the ball was going to. We had to get the ball in his hands. 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 you-all saw what happened.”

Through the struggle and the grit, Maryland moves on to the Sweet 16 with a matchup against top-seed Florida. Maryland stays alive, and College Park has life to still win a National Championship. The journey continues on Thursday in the biggest game for Maryland basketball in a long, long, time.

By: Oliver Schaack

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