Maryland freshman star Derik Queen saved the day Sunday for his team with a buzzer-beating bank shot from just outside the painted area to lift Maryland past Colorado State and into the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But one of the key pieces of the Terps’ “Crab Five” might have done some crab-walking to do it.
Queen gathered the inbounds play with 3.7 seconds remaining and went into attack mode from the top of the key. He took two dribbles, gathered and launched into the air off his right foot while fading left, hanging just long enough in mid-air to get a shot that smooched the glass and went in.
The shot fell, the horn sounded, and the game ended: Maryland 72, Colorado State 71.
If only it were that so simple. A closer inspection of the play reveals Queen may have traveled on the play as he attacked the basket. It was not called.
Current NCAA rules allow a gather and two steps. A slow motion view of a separate angle, posted by March Madness and slowed down by me, shows he clearly gathered and subsequently took three steps.
The rub may be what CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore explained as a matter of possession. During halftime of the ensuing Oregon vs. Arizona game, Steratore joined the set of TBS’ halftime programming and shot down theories that Queen traveled.
“By rule, the dribble doesn’t end until there’s firm possession with one hand locked, but more times than not, with two hands. […] When he brings it back up, we don’t know if that’s fully possessed. If he bobbles that at that point, he could continue to bobble that basketball all the way to the hoop without a travel. So, you’ve got to wait until you can define firm possession. […] To me, it just really doesn’t jump off the screen as anything big.”
Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith agreed with Steratore, saying they did not notice anything unusual about the play at first blush. As social media lit up with sympathizers to Colorado State’s cause that it may have been the victim of a big brand school getting the no-call, Steratore made a reasonable point about an overabundance of information watering down the in-the-moment enjoyment of a sport.
“Many times now, in this game we love with the technological enhancements […] we’re starting to overanalyze things that are natural when we watch them,” he said.
However — and here’s where I’ll lean right into the bit — I’d like the floor back for a moment to just point out that the lower half of Queen’s body, regardless of the iffy possession quandary, was unquestionably traveling.
Here it is below in sequential order. The right foot of Queen strikes first (in first screenshot) after gather; the left foot strikes next (second screenshot); then finally the right strikes again as he launches into air for the shot.
One veteran official spoke with CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander after the game and confirmed: Queen traveled.
Here’s another courtside angle of the play so you can decide for yourself.
Because the first right leg strike and the gather were so close together — and nearly coincided — it makes it a nearly impossible call to make in real time.
As always with traveling, though, a caveat: it’s only a travel if it’s called on the floor.
It wasn’t. Now Maryland’s dancing, errr, crab walking its way into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
For Steratore’s full perspective, check this video out:
Maryland will play No. 1 seed Florida on Thursday at 7:39 p.m. ET in San Francisco.
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