Heading into Maryland men’s basketball’s matchup with Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Terps’ last four losses had all come in heartbreaking, last-second fashion.
Longtime radio play-by-play man Johnny Holliday thought Maryland’s season may very well be destined to end that way after Colorado State’s Jalen Lake hit a 3-pointer to give the Rams a 71-70 lead with 6.1 seconds to play. The Terps advanced the ball past half-court and called timeout, giving them a chance to win the game with 3.6 seconds left.
Then freshman center Derik Queen took over, and Holliday was up to the task:
Holliday’s call was perfect for those who had suffered through this season’s heartbreaking losses.
“There was a lump in my throat, too,” Holliday said on Glenn Clark Radio March 24. “I felt so happy for these guys. It was all you could do to not shed a tear and choke up when you see how they were celebrating, everybody jumping on top of Queen. We were talking on the postgame with Rodney Rice, and all of the sudden they came to get him because all of the guys were gathered around Willard on television. They wanted Rice in there too, the entire starting five, so we let him go early.”
Maryland had lost in the final seconds to Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan dating back to mid-January, winning every other game during that time. But No. 12 seed Colorado State presented a challenge for the Terps, having won 11 consecutive games entering the second-round matchup.
The Rams won the rebounding battle, 39-29, and got double-digit points from four players, led by Nique Clifford (21). That set up a possible upset until Queen made sure that didn’t happen.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Can these guys go through another loss like this, to come so close to getting to the Sweet 16?'” Holliday said. “It was absolutely incredible. If you could’ve seen the reception back at the hotel, we got on the bus and we came back [with] the lobby full of Maryland people. The band was playing. The cheerleaders were there. Testudo is there. The atmosphere is almost indescribable with how happy everybody was for this team. It’s been marvelous so far. Now, it’s going to be even tougher against the No. 1 seed.”
This wasn’t the first time Maryland required late heroics to win a ballgame this year. Rice hit a 3-pointer to beat Indiana, 79-78, on Jan. 23. Holliday said he and partner Chris Knoche figured the ball would go to Rice or fellow guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, both of whom can put the ball on the floor and get to the free-throw line. Rice is shooting 81 percent from the line, while Gillespie shoots 85.2 percent.
Queen had other ideas.
“You’re going to drive to the rim, you’re going to get fouled. Both guys, shooting over 80 percent, hit the free throws and you win the game,” Holliday said. “No. Kevin Willard draws it up. Derik in the timeout huddle says, ‘Hey, I want the ball.’ Coach said, ‘Hey, who wants the ball?’ And the freshman, of all the people, said, ‘I want the basketball.’ And everybody looked at him and said, ‘OK, let’s go.'”
Maryland now takes on No. 1 seed Florida, which is 32-4 overall following a 77-75 win against two-time defending champion UConn in the second round. The Gators are led by first-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr., who averages 17.9 points and 4.2 assists per game and shoots 38.7 percent from 3-point range.
Holliday thinks back to the Terps’ trip down to Gainesville, Fla., in December 2003, when the Gators were ranked No. 1 in the country. Maryland beat Florida, 69-68, to deal the Gators their first loss of the season. Travis Garrison’s jumper with less than 20 seconds left in overtime proved to be the difference.
Holliday is hoping for a similar outcome when the two teams face off in San Francisco on March 27.
“I’ve just got a feeling that something is going to happen on Thursday night, something good for these guys,” Holliday said, “and boy, do they deserve it.”
For more from Holliday, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics