Feb 9, 2025; Faculty Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins heart Derik Queen (25) seems to be on throughout the second half in opposition to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Xfinity Middle. Obligatory Credit score: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Photographs Derik Queen performed like a king Thursday evening.
When the freshman heart leads his No. 25 Maryland Terrapins right into a Large Ten Convention recreation in opposition to Iowa in Faculty Park, Md., on Sunday, he figures to be on prime of the Hawkeyes’ scouting report.
Queen is coming off a monster efficiency in an 83-75 win at Nebraska, pounding the Cornhuskers for a game-high 24 factors and 11 rebounds. No freshman this 12 months in Division I has extra 20-10 performances than Queen’s 5, a listing that features nationwide Participant of the 12 months candidate Cooper Flagg of Duke and Ace Bailey of Rutgers.
“There have positively been some video games the place I struggled rather a lot and my numbers and performances weren’t nice,” Queen stated. “However now since my coaches and my teammates are getting on me and telling me that I am higher than this after which me simply watching movie of myself, simply maintain constructing and (be taught) what errors to not make once more.”
Queen (15.9 factors, 8.6 rebounds per recreation) and Julian Reese (13.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) give the Terrapins (19-6, 9-5 Large Ten) a strong frontcourt. It would not damage to have Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.3 ppg, 4.7 assists), Rodney Rice (13.2 ppg) and Selton Miguel (11.8 ppg) bombing away on the perimeter to maintain opponents sincere.
Gillespie and Miguel every hit 3 of 5 3-point makes an attempt at Nebraska.
“When you’ve got Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice and Ja’Kobi Gillespie on the market capturing threes, it makes your life rather a lot simpler,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard stated.
That quintet at present contains one in every of faculty basketball’s best lineups. All 5 have reached double-figure scoring in the identical recreation 4 instances, together with Thursday evening. Solely Kentucky can boast extra, with all 5 starters doing it 5 instances.
Whereas the Terrapins are rolling towards an NCAA Event berth, the Hawkeyes (14-10, 5-8) are scrapping simply to make the Large Ten tourney. An 84-73 win at Rutgers on Wednesday, simply Iowa’s second triumph in eight video games, was an enormous step in the best course.
It was the Hawkeyes’ first win with out main scorer Owen Freeman (16.7 ppg), out for the season after finger surgical procedure. Iowa did it behind a mixed 46 factors from Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort, and the Hawkeyes outscored the Scarlet Knights 51-31 within the second half.
“We had been locked in on each offense and protection in that second half,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery stated. “I am actually happy with that. Particularly if you’re on the street in opposition to a extremely good crew, you need to keep related, and we did.”
Even with out Freeman, the Hawkeyes have sufficient firepower to beat anybody. They enter the weekend eleventh in Division I in scoring at 84.5 ppg, though they rely extra on outdoors capturing with Sandfort (16.1 ppg), Dix (14.4) and Drew Thelwell (10.5).
It was not recognized if Thelwell, who sat out at Rutgers as a result of an ankle damage, would be capable to return on Sunday. Though McCaffery stated Thelwell was nearer to returning, the coach additionally stated that Brock Harding, who began and supply 13 factors and 7 assists in opposition to the Scarlet Knights, can be on the ground rather a lot no matter whether or not Thelwell returns.
Maryland owns a 9-8 lead within the all-time sequence, together with two victories final season. The Sunday contest is the groups’ solely scheduled assembly this season.
–Subject Stage Media
