Derik Queen game-winner controversy: Colorado State HC Niko Medved reacts to potential missed travel call

Maryland superstar Derik Queen gave us one of the more magical moments of March Madness on Sunday evening, after he delivered a buzzer-beater off the glass to defeat the Colorado State Rams in the final seconds. And as with a lot of things on the internet, there always seems to be controversy or somebody finding something to gripe about. People were wondering if there was a possible travel by Queen on the game-winning shot.

Following the game, CSU head coach Niko Medved really didn’t seem to be too concerned whether or not it was a travel. “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. It doesn’t matter. They didn’t call one,” Medved explained in his post-game press conference.

Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved when asked if Derik Queen's buzzer beater was a travel:

“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. It doesn’t matter, they didn’t call one.” pic.twitter.com/NI2k2kwOR9

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 24, 2025

Derik Queen delivered the onions in crunch time

The first weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament hadn’t had as much madness as we’d usually want or expect expect. However, that changed tonight in Seattle with the first game-winner in the event.

Down one with just under four seconds left, Maryland’s Derik Queen drove left and hit a running fadeaway off the glass at the buzzer to win it for the Terrapins at 72-71 and knock off No. 12 Colorado State. That’ll send the Terps into the Sweet 16 for the fifteenth time in school history and for the first time in almost a decade.

“I mean, I couldn’t do it without my team,” Queen said postgame to Andy Katz. “Like, we was down and then, and then Ju (Reese), Jo (Geronimo), Selton (Miguel), and all those seniors? We didn’t want, uh, want this to be their last game. So we just kept fighting and kept fighting. My coaches and my teammates trusted me to take that last shot.”

“I mean, so I think – I’m from Baltimore. That’s why,” said Queen of his confidence to hit the season-saving shot. “And then, and then I kinda had it going all game, me and my teammates had it going. Like I said, they trusted me to take that last shot.”

Maryland wasn’t glad to be in such a familiar place in the closing seconds against the Rams. CSU had, after a back-and-forth second half, hit a three-pointer from Jalen Lake to take the lead and have what would be the fourth and final game-winner hit on the Terrapins in just this season – two in the regular season from Northwestern and Michigan State and one from Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. That was before Queen saved them from that fate with his own winner at the buzzer.

Queen, their leading scorer and rebounder this season, led the Terps again with 17 points (58.3% FG), six rebounds, and two blocks in the one-point win. Their starting lineup as a whole was as effective as they have been too with double figures for all of them from Rodney Rice (16), Reese (15 points, 11 rebounds), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (11 points, seven assists), and Miguel (11).

The NCAA Tournament had picked up over the weekend with the games across all four regions during the Round of 32. That was highlighted by this shot from Queen with it being the first game-winner this year in March Madness.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this article.