Maryland’s Derik Queen etched his name into NCAA Tournament lore on Sunday with a buzzer-beater to lift the No. 4 seed Terrapins to a 72-71 win over No. 12 seed Colorado State. The freshman center demanded the basketball and then delivered when he got it, lifting his team to the Sweet 16 in legendary fashion.
It was the first game-winning buzzer-beater of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and it capped arguably the best game of the opening weekend. Part of what made it so spectacular is the conversation that preceded it. As Maryland coach Kevin Willard explained it, the Terrapins were discussing what to do in their huddle after Colorado State had surged ahead with a clutch shot of its own just moments earlier. Queen spoke up.
“Give me the M-F ball,” Queen said, according to Willard. The Terrapins obliged that request, and the Big Ten Rookie of the Year delivered with a heroic play.
There’s no doubt it ranks among the greatest shots in Maryland history and as the greatest shot so far in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But Queen’s game-winner falls just short of being a top-10 all-time buzzer-beater in the Big Dance, and it’s not just because he may have gotten away with a travel. The reality is that the competition is stiff.
Did Derik Queen travel? Evidence, experts split on Maryland’s thrilling buzzer-beater vs. Colorado State
Kyle Boone
Here is a spin through memory lane and a look back at the all-time great last-second shots in the tournament’s rich history.
1. Kris Jenkins | Villanova | 2016 National championship game
Jenkins lifted Villanova to the 2016 national title when he drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to beat North Carolina 77-74. Ryan Arcidiacono assisted on the basket and ran some interference on UNC’s attempts to contest the shot. The national title was Villanova’s first since 1985.
2. Christian Laettner | Duke | 1992 Elite Eight
Duke eventually won the 1992 national championship, but it would not have reached the Final Four without Laettner’s iconic turnaround shot to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight. The shot capped a 104-103 overtime victory in one of college basketball’s most iconic games of all time.
3. Lorenzo Charles | NC State | 1983 National championship game
This one is known to many now as the play that preempted NC State coach Jim Valvano’s frantic sprint onto the court in search of someone to hug. But Charles made the putback dunk that gave Valvano something to celebrate, as the memorable play lifted the Wolfpack to a national title victory over Houston.
4. Jalen Suggs | Gonzaga | 2021 Final Four
This may be the shot with the highest degree of difficulty on the list. Suggs pulled up from just inside the half-court line and banked in a desperation 3-pointer to lift Gonzaga to an overtime victory over UCLA. The victory sent the Zags to the national title game and made Suggs an even bigger freshman phenom.
5. Mario Chalmers | Kansas | 2008 National championship game
There were still 2.1 seconds left on the clock when Chalmers’ 3-pointer fell, but it makes the list anyway because of how it rescued Kansas in a moment of desperation. His make sent the game to overtime, and from there the Jayhawks captured their first and only national title to date under Bill Self.
6. Paul Jesperson | Northern Iowa | First round
After Texas tied the game at 72 with 2.7 seconds left, Northern Iowa could have used its last timeout to try and get organized. Instead it inbounded to Jesperson, who dribbled once and then heaved up a desperation shot from half court. This memorable shot is just one chapter in Texas’ recent history of NCAA Tournament pain.
7. Bryce Drew | Valparaiso | 1998 First round
Drew lifted Valparaiso to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory when he beat the buzzer from the right wing after Ole Miss missed a pair of free throws to leave the door ajar. In addition to Drew’s shot, the play featured two perfectly executed passes as Valparaiso went the length of the floor in just 2.5 seconds.
8. Chris Chiozza | Florida | 2017 Sweet 16
Chiozza had to go the length of the floor in just four seconds, and after getting held up briefly by a pair of Wisconsin defenders, he abandoned the idea of getting all the way to the basket. With the Gators trailing by two, he hoisted a floater from just beyond the 3-point line that fell as the buzzer sounded. It gave Florida an 84-83 win over Wisconsin and sent the Gators on to the Elite Eight.
9. Lamont Butler | San Diego State | 2023 Final Four
Lamont Butler hit one of the most legendary shots in Final Four history to lift San Diego State past FAU and into the national championship game in 2023. Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher opted against using his last timeout, and Butler rewarded his faith in a major way by rising above FAU’s Nick Boyd to swish home a smooth jumper as time expired.
10. Jordan Poole | Michigan | 2018 Second round
Michigan’s run to the national championship game would’ve never happened in 2018 without Poole’s miraculous 3-point heave from the right wing to beat Houston in the second round. The Wolverines trailed by two and had to go the length of the court in 3.6 seconds. The shot wasn’t even a good look, but Poole somehow got it to go.
Read the full article here
