Maryland freshman Derik Queen delivered the first game-winning buzzer-beater of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday to lift the No. 4 seed Terrapins to a thrilling 72-71 win over No. 12 seed Colorado State. Queen’s runner over Ethan Morton trickled through the net just as the clock hit all zeroes to send the Terps onto the second weekend of the Big Dance for the first time since 2016.
It goes down as the first buzzer-beater in the NCAA Tournament since Lamont Butler’s shot to beat Florida Atlantic in the 2023 Final Four.
The wild ending capped a back-and-forth battle that included 15 lead changes. Queen led the charge for the Terps with 17 points and six rebounds. But he’d been quiet for much of the second half until demanding the basketball with the game on the line.
Did Derik Queen travel? Evidence, experts split on Maryland’s thrilling buzzer-beater vs. Colorado State
Kyle Boone
Coach Kevin Willard said that in the final timeout, as he was deciding who would take the last shot, 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.
It was only the latest memorable moment in a spectacular freshman season for Queen. The 6-foot-10 Baltimore native has spearheaded a resurgence for the Maryland program, which missed the Big Dance with a 16-17 record last season.
Did Derik Queen travel? Evidence, experts split on Maryland’s thrilling buzzer-beater vs. Colorado State
Kyle Boone
His game-winner came after a high-arching from Jalen Lake just seconds earlier put Colorado State ahead. The Rams led by as much as 12 in the first half. But Maryland and its “Crab Five” starting lineup will be marching on to face No. 1 seed Florida in the Sweet 16.
Derik Queen is Maryland’s best frosh in decades
Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com profiled Queen in February, writing conclusively that the big man was Maryland’s best freshman since the mid-1990s, when future No. 1 pick Joe Smith was hooping in College Park.
Even if Queen won’t wind up being top-end pick material like Smith, he almost definitely won’t be on campus two years … it’s pretty obvious he’s a lottery-level talent. Maryland coach Kevin Willard thinks he won’t drop out of the top 10, telling CBS Sports he thinks Queen’s being discriminated against by scouts — even as his stock continues to rise. Part of it is because Queen turned 20 in late December, which is abnormally old for a first-year college player. Listed most recently at 244 pounds, he’s down almost 20 since last summer. A little more conditioning, a lot less bad food and constantly drinking water. He seems to transform for the better by the week.
Norlander’s feature included a whale of a quote by coach Kevin Willard.
“If he was European and white he’d be the first pick in the draft,” Willard told CBS Sports. “He gets a little penalized because he doesn’t have the greatest athleticism. He has better ballhandling skills than most guards, he’s like a 15-year-vet in the fact he knows and understands the game.”
Queen was teammates with Cooper Flagg
Queen was pegged as a five-star prospect by his freshman year, and he was soon recruited to play at prestigious Montverde Academy (Florida), but his mother Lisa wouldn’t let him leave home that young. She was comfortable with it by the time Queen was a junior.
Future NBA picks Flagg, Liam McNeeley, Asa Newell and others were his teammates on one of the best high school teams in recent history, which included two national championships.
And how about this prophetic quote?
After watching Queen create his own offense on a game-winner, starting with the ball at the top of the key with the clock ticking, this quote Willard told Norlander stands out.
“It’s like having a 6-11 point guard,” Willard said. “We can ISO, we can post, we can run offense through him. He knows every play from every possession. Tell me the last 6-11 guy in college who could do that?”
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