Maryland star big man Derik Queen put up a historic stat line last weekend that hasn’t been done by a first-year player in college basketball in at least 20 years. Queen recorded 29 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to become the first freshman in Division l basketball to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a single game.
Queen has been a major reason why Maryland is enjoying a successful season. The Terrapins checked into the AP Top 25 poll last week for the first time in nearly two years and held on to their spot in the rankings despite suffering a mid-week loss to Ohio State last week.
After Maryland lost its first game in nearly two weeks to the Buckeyes, Queen helped his team bounce back with a big win over Rutgers. Queen outscored Rutgers’ dynamic freshmen duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper 29-24.
After the game, Queen made his case for why he should be Big Ten Freshman of the Year after playing against two top contenders (Harper and Bailey) to win the award.
“But obviously, we’re all in a in the race (for) freshman of the year,” Queen told reporters after the game. “On the court, it’s competitive, and I just wanted to set my myself aside and just let them know that I want the freshman of the year.”
Freshman of the Week: Derik Queen, Maryland
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the five most impressive freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
The former No. 12 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports has lived up to the hype and then some during his freshman season with Maryland. Queen is averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 29 minutes per game.
Queen has certainly raised his draft stock during his freshman campaign. In CBS Sports’ latest mock draft by Gary Parrish, Queen is projected to go No. 23 overall. Queen could work himself into the lottery conversion – if he hasn’t already – by the end of the season.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
- Nov. 12: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Nov. 19: Joson Sanon, Arizona State
- Nov. 26: Labaron Philon, Alabama
- Dec. 3: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Dec. 10: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Dec. 17: Liam McNeeley, UConn
- Dec. 24: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
- Dec. 31: Ian Jackson, North Carolina
- Jan. 7: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Jan. 14: Cooper Flagg: Duke
- Jan. 21: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Jan. 28: Tre Johnson, Texas
- Feb. 4: Robert Wright, Baylor
Frosh Watch: Ranking top five freshmen
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 20.0 PPG | 8.0 RPG | 4.2 APG
In the first half against Clemson last weekend, Flagg struggled. The Duke star freshman scored only four points but had a strong second-half performance, which saw him score 14 of his 18 points after intermission. Duke lost its first game in nearly three months and saw the 16-game winning streak come to a halt. Last week: 1
2. Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
Stats: 19.1 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 4.1 RPG
Harper had a strong outing in an upset win over Illinois, recording 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. Harper has been the second-best first-year player in the sport behind Flagg this season. He maintains his spot at No. 2, where he’s been the entire season. Last week: 2
3. Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers
Stats: 19.4 PPG | 7.7 RPG | 1.2 BPG
Bailey recorded the seventh double-double of his college career (18 points, 11 rebounds) in the win over Illinois last week. Bailey logged only 24 points and finished with a season-low four points in Rutgers’ 90-81 loss to Maryland. Last week: 3
4. Kasparas Jakučionis | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 15.6 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 5.2 APG
After scoring only seven points in a loss to Rutgers, Jakučionis responded with a strong outing against Minnesota. Jakučionis tied his season-high in points (24) and led his team to a 95-74 win. Last week: x
5. Derik Queen | C | Maryland
Stats: 15.5 PPG | 8.5 RPG | 2.2 APG
If you haven’t had the chance to watch Queen this season, now is the time. Queen is a treat to watch and is one of the best centers in college basketball. Queen’s draft stock just keeps going up. Last week: 5
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