Maryland fans explode after Derik Queen's buzzer-beater to send the Terps to the Sweet 16

Maryland winning was in doubt for a lot of their Second Round game. Colorado State put up a strong fight and looked to be on the cusp of upsetting the No. 4 seed as a double-digit 12 seed. The freshman Baltimore native, however, had other plans.

After the Rams took the late lead. With six seconds left on the clock, Jalen Lake took the pass from Nique Clifford and made as clean of an in-rhythm jumper as anyone in the country could. Against most rosters, that would have been enough to advance on the day. This is particularly true with the Terrapins latest run of close calls at the end of games that haven't gone their way.

Derik Queen flipped that narrative with a drive that resulted in a made basket from his bank shot. This game winner was this year's first buzzer beater throughout the March Madness games so far. And for Maryland fans, it couldn't have come at a better time. The Terrapins ended up winning 72-71.

Coach Kevin Willard downplayed his direct involvement in Queen's execution down the stretch. According to him, after the game, he insisted that the center simply volunteered and wanted to 'do his thing.' The touch and talent on display showed what that means exactly. His clutch field goal at the last possible moment earned this group a well-deserved spot in the Sweet 16.

Social media buzz following Maryland's win

Ant Cowan Jr. took to social media to share his incredulous disbelief. With his emoji reaction to a post, he gave an incredibly accurate representation of how most felt watching Queen's late efforts. UMD fans or not, most were somewhat stunned after the incredible take that ultimately saw the Terrapins through to the next round. 

Next, all things Maryland fan Rick Arnold responded to a congratulatory post on X. His being grateful while acknowledging how close the game was can easily be visualized with thousands sitting by their televisions, eagerly seeing if the bounce off the backboard would go down or find a way out. Especially with CSU maintaining a lead for most of the game, anxiety levels while rooting for the in-state school must have been at an all-time high.

Head coach for the women's side of the Maryland program, Brenda Frese, reminded everyone of what matters most, and that is to have a certain fear and level of respect for the turtle. She will likely be getting back to preparing for her team's fixture against Alabama at the XFINITY Center, but seeing the cross-team support within the program was a nice added touch to the day.

Andy Kostka gave some reflective thoughts on the young player who made the final shot in the winning effort. Queen is an intriguing prospect for NBA scouts, and his coming back for another year of school, even with NIL, is highly unlikely. The one-and-done student-athlete is only going to be on the Terrapins campus for one year.

The center has already pulled off the miraculous to ensure his stay for one more game. Against Florida, he'll look to ensure that the Terrapins keep marching through the NCAA tournament. If this game is any indication, he isn't ready to give up the Maryland Red quite yet.