Derik Queen performed like a king Thursday evening.
When the freshman middle leads his No. 25 Maryland Terrapins right into a Massive Ten Convention recreation towards Iowa in School Park, Md., on Sunday, he figures to be on high of the Hawkeyes’ scouting report.
Queen is coming off a monster efficiency in an 83-75 win at Nebraska, pounding the Cornhuskers for a game-high 24 factors and 11 rebounds. No freshman this 12 months in Division I has extra 20-10 performances than Queen’s 5, a listing that features nationwide Participant of the Yr candidate Cooper Flagg of Duke and Ace Bailey of Rutgers.
“There have undoubtedly been some video games the place I struggled loads and my numbers and performances weren’t nice,” Queen mentioned. “However now since my coaches and my teammates are getting on me and telling me that I am higher than this after which me simply watching movie of myself, simply hold constructing and (study) what errors to not make once more.”
Queen (15.9 factors, 8.6 rebounds per recreation) and Julian Reese (13.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) give the Terrapins (19-6, 9-5 Massive Ten) a robust frontcourt. It does not damage to have Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.3 ppg, 4.7 assists), Rodney Rice (13.2 ppg) and Selton Miguel (11.8 ppg) bombing away on the perimeter to maintain opponents sincere.
Gillespie and Miguel every hit 3 of 5 3-point makes an attempt at Nebraska.
“When you may have Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice and Ja’Kobi Gillespie on the market taking pictures threes, it makes your life loads simpler,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard mentioned.
That quintet at the moment includes one in all faculty basketball’s most efficient lineups. All 5 have reached double-figure scoring in the identical recreation 4 occasions, together with Thursday evening. Solely Kentucky can boast extra, with all 5 starters doing it 5 occasions.
Whereas the Terrapins are rolling towards an NCAA Event berth, the Hawkeyes (14-10, 5-8) are scrapping simply to make the Massive Ten tourney. An 84-73 win at Rutgers on Wednesday, simply Iowa’s second triumph in eight video games, was a giant step in the fitting route.
It was the Hawkeyes’ first win with out main scorer Owen Freeman (16.7 ppg), out for the season after finger surgical procedure. Iowa did it behind a mixed 46 factors from Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort, and the Hawkeyes outscored the Scarlet Knights 51-31 within the second half.
“We had been locked in on each offense and protection in that second half,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery mentioned. “I am actually happy with that. Particularly while you’re on the highway towards a very good workforce, it’s a must to keep linked, and we did.”
Even with out Freeman, the Hawkeyes have sufficient firepower to beat anybody. They enter the weekend eleventh in Division I in scoring at 84.5 ppg, though they rely extra on exterior taking pictures with Sandfort (16.1 ppg), Dix (14.4) and Drew Thelwell (10.5).
It was not identified if Thelwell, who sat out at Rutgers as a consequence of an ankle harm, would have the ability to return on Sunday. Though McCaffery mentioned Thelwell was nearer to returning, the coach additionally mentioned that Brock Harding, who began and supply 13 factors and 7 assists towards the Scarlet Knights, could be on the ground loads no matter whether or not Thelwell returns.
Maryland owns a 9-8 lead within the all-time collection, together with two victories final season. The Sunday contest is the groups’ solely scheduled assembly this season.
–Subject Degree Media
