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Maryland star Derik Queen aimed a playful jibe at his coach Kevin Willard after the team's narrow 72-71 win over Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
In the post-game press conference, Queen, who made a buzzer-beater to send the Terrapins into the Sweet 16, said that Willard paid his players to ensure they kept listening to him.
"First, he did pay us the money,” Queen said when asked how it feels to play under Willard and listen to the Maryland coach. “So we’ve gotta listen to him.”
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Following his comical response, which sparked laughter from many in the audience, Queen then highlighted his appreciation for Willard:
“We all trust him. He wants nothing but the best for us. He coaches hard. He talks to us [about things] other than basketball. He’s just always there, and just wants us to win.”
Queen finished with a team-high 17 points, along with six rebounds and one assist against Colorado State. His Maryland teammate Rodney Rice contributed 16 points, while Julian Reese posted 15 points in Sunday's game.
Meanwhile, Rams star Nique Clifford recorded a game-high 21 points, with seven rebounds and six assists. Jalen Lake added 13 points as well for CSU, but it wasn't enough to get the team across the winning line.
Willard is in his third season at Maryland. This is the first time that he has led the program to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Kevin Willard's Maryland will face top-seed Florida in Sweet 16 of 2025 NCAA Tournament
Kevin Willard's No. 4 seed Maryland (28-8) will face the top-seeded Florida Gators (33-4) in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. The game will tip off at 7:39 p.m. EDT from Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Gators made it to the last 16 after beating Dan Hurley's UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Florida's win crushed the Huskies' hopes of winning a three-peat of national titles.
The Maryland vs. Florida game will be broadcast live on TBS. Fans can also live stream it on Fubo.
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