Derik Queen played exceptionally well on Thursday night.
As the freshman center for the No. 25 Maryland Terrapins, Queen will lead the team into a Big Ten Conference game against Iowa on Sunday in College Park, Md. He will likely be a key focus in Iowa’s game plan.
Queen had an outstanding performance in Maryland’s 83-75 win at Nebraska, scoring a game-high 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Queen has the most 20-10 games (five) among Division I freshmen this year, a group that includes national Player of the Year candidates like Cooper Flagg of Duke and Ace Bailey of Rutgers.
“There have definitely been some games where I struggled a lot and my numbers and performances weren’t great,” Queen said. “But now since my coaches and my teammates are getting on me and telling me that I’m better than this and then me just watching film of myself, just keep building and (learn) what mistakes not to make again.”
Queen (15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds per game) and Julian Reese (13.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) give the Terrapins (19-6, 9-5 Big Ten) a strong frontcourt. Having Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.3 ppg, 4.7 assists), Rodney Rice (13.2 ppg), and Selton Miguel (11.8 ppg) shooting from outside also helps, making it harder for opponents to defend.
Gillespie and Miguel both hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts at Nebraska.
“When you have Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice and Ja’Kobi Gillespie out there shooting threes, it makes your life a lot easier,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said.
Iowa State players celebrate after scoringTogether, these five players form one of the most productive lineups in college basketball. All five have scored in double figures in the same game four times, including Thursday night. Only Kentucky has done this more, with all five starters reaching double digits five times.
While Maryland is heading toward an NCAA Tournament spot, Iowa (14-10, 5-8) is fighting just to make the Big Ten Tournament. An 84-73 win at Rutgers on Wednesday, only their second win in the last eight games, was an important step forward for Iowa.
It was Iowa’s first win without their leading scorer, Owen Freeman (16.7 ppg), who is out for the season after finger surgery. Iowa won with strong performances from Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort, who combined for 46 points. The Hawkeyes outscored Rutgers 51-31 in the second half.
“We were locked in on both offense and defense in that second half,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I’m really proud of that. Especially when you’re on the road against a really good team, you have to stay connected, and we did.”
Even without Freeman, Iowa still has enough offensive power to beat any team. They are ranked 11th in Division I in scoring, averaging 84.5 points per game. They rely heavily on outside shooting from Sandfort (16.1 ppg), Dix (14.4), and Drew Thelwell (10.5).
It’s uncertain if Thelwell, who missed the Rutgers game due to an ankle injury, will return on Sunday. McCaffery said that Thelwell is getting closer to returning, but regardless, Brock Harding, who started in Thelwell’s place and contributed 13 points and seven assists against Rutgers, will play a big role.
Maryland leads the all-time series 9-8, including two wins last season. The Sunday game is the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this season.
