The first official buzzer-beater of the NCAA Tournament has arrived and it came at the cost of the Colorado State Rams' unlikely run through the Big Dance. The No. 12-seed Rams looked like they had the upset victory over Maryland secured with a 71-70 lead and less than four seconds remaining.
However, the Maryland Terrapins would not go gently into the night as the two teams fought for a spot in the Sweet 16.
With just 3.7 seconds left, the Terps inbounded the ball to freshman center Derik Queen, who drove to the basket, faded to the left, and sank the bank shot for the buzzer-beater, subsequently shattering the hearts of Colorado State fans across the country.
MARYLAND AT THE BUZZER🤯pic.twitter.com/IyzzvMBVla
— On3 (@On3sports) March 24, 2025
On their journey to the Round of 32, the Rams had defeated the No. 5 seed Memphis Tigers and looked as though they were going to pull off yet another upset. However, the celebrations clearly came a little early as Queen sank the unlikely fade away.
Man, I hate that Colorado States near-buzzer beater was overrode by Marylands actual buzzed beater. But what a finish!
— Matt Slusser (@Slushie88) March 24, 2025
After the loss, college basketball fans couldn't help but give Colorado State props for its incredible season that only ended with an incredible buzzer-beater finish.
Colorado State,
— T3 Bracketology™️🏀 (@T3Bracketology) March 24, 2025
What a run! A top 10 team since mid February and it took a buzzer beater against a Top B10 team to go down.
Special run, special season. A blast to watch how this team grew from November to March!
I know today sucks, but this is a group worthy of praise!👏🐏 pic.twitter.com/AC8JtTjdCw
Just one play later, Colorado State's Jalen Lake sank a three-point shot to give the Rams the one-point lead, giving his teammates the notion that they were the ones who just pulled off the buzzer-beater victory. However, Queen and the Terrapins had other plans.
💔
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) March 24, 2025
The devastation for the Rams fanbase was palpable as their Cinderella-esque run was dashed by the last-second effort from Maryland. Colorado State finished the season with a 26-10 overall record, a Mountain West tournament title, and a run to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
With the win, the Maryland Terrapins moved onto the Sweet 16, as Colorado State flew home, to face the No. 1-seed Florida Gators. The Terps and the Gators were set to tip off on Thursday, March 27.