Derik Queen’s buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper has propelled the Terrapins to their first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in nearly a decade while creating an indelible Maryland moment. To continue their magical March, the No. 4 seed Terrapins now must find a way to overcome one of the nation’s most dominant teams: the top-seeded Florida Gators.
“It’s a big matchup for us,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said Wednesday. “This is all about the Sweet 16 and these guys enjoying this as much as possible. I’ve enjoyed it tremendously.”
Maryland’s 15th regional semifinal appearance Thursday in San Francisco is its first since 2016, and Queen’s left-handed drive and score down the lane line to beat No. 12 Colorado State last Sunday was a shot in the arm for a program and its fans conditioned to heartbreak in the waning moments of games this season.
“We had this goal since June that we would come together and try to make the tournament. So it’s been fun,” guard Selton Miguel said. “We’re not satisfied at all, because we want more. But it’s been really fun. We’re grateful for it.”
Before Queen’s game-winner, this “Crab Five” led group of Terrapins (27-8) had already made its mark in program annals, recording their most wins since 2015-16 and setting a season record for made 3-pointers (286 and counting) a year after being one of the nation’s worst teams from beyond the arc.
“It’s been fun just coming here with a whole bunch — there was a lot of transfers coming in together. So I feel like we all came in and had the same goal to play deep in the postseason,” guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. “So I feel like we’re finally here doing that.”
A cloud of uncertainty — of Willard’s creation — has hovered over the Terrapins, who stayed on the West Coast and flew directly to San Francisco after winning their first two West Region games in Seattle.
Last week, Willard publicly revealed that Maryland athletic director Damon Evans was leaving for the same position at SMU days before it was officially announced. He also aired his grievances related to revenue sharing and name, image and likeness allocations for his program amidst rumors of him being connected to the coaching vacancy at Villanova.
Willard avoided multiple questions on the subject ahead of Maryland’s game with Florida (32-4), choosing instead to talk about Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr., who’s paced them with a team-high 23 points in their first two NCAA games and has scored 20 or more in six of his last seven games.
“He’s really good. He shoots the basketball going left 48%. He shoots it right going at like 38%,” Willard said. “So really, the last couple days, [we’re] trying to come up with a game plan to stop Clayton, because I just think he’s one of the best guards in the country that we’ve seen.”
Besides their guard play, the SEC champions dominate the glass — an area where Maryland has struggled — to the tune of 41.9 rebounds per game, third best nationally. The Terrapins have lost the rebounding battle by 10 or more in three of their last four games.
“We’re going to have to play all four bigs,” Willard said. “There’s just no way Derik and [Julian Reese] are going to be allowed 36 minutes against this team. They run consistently. They’re fresh. They’re as good as a basketball team as I’ve seen on film all year.”
History is not on Maryland’s side. The Terrapins’ last Sweet 16 appearance was a loss to a No. 1 seed (Kansas), and the program’s only two wins in the round came as part of Maryland’s back-to-back Final Four runs at the turn of the century.
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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