WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana — Derik Queen set the bar immensely high with a 22-point, 20-rebound performance in his first collegiate game against Manhattan. It was still fair to question whether he could replicate that production against better competition — he’s since put that to rest.
In his first true road game Sunday, Queen posted a 26-point, 12-rebound domination against No. 8 Purdue. His performance continued an early trend: he’s been most successful against the Terps’ best opponents.
Queen’s averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds on 64 percent shooting against the Terps’ four high-major foes.
“I’ve been playing basketball forever,” he said after his record-breaking debut on Nov. 4. “So why be nervous now?”
The same sentiment held true in a rowdy environment of more than 14,000 fans at Mackey Arena. The star freshman showed that calm and confident demeanor when Purdue’s student section furiously booed him after drawing a foul. He walked toward the stands and jawed at the rowdy fans before heading to the line and draining both of his free throws.
[Maryland men’s basketball can’t contain No. 8 Purdue in 83-78 road loss]
Queen was dominant from that point on. He scored 18 of Maryland’s 42 points in the second half. The 6-foot-10 big man even took four 3-pointers in the period, more than he’s taken in any game thus far, and made two.
Coaches usually don’t nitpick those types of performances. But coach Kevin Willard, who understandably holds Queen to a high standard, said he could’ve been more aggressive in the game’s later stages instead of settling for two threes after his pair of makes. Queen said he regretted taking them and should’ve attacked the rim to draw a foul instead.
“Part of being a freshman is, he made a jump shot, but then he settled for two when we didn’t need jump shots,” Willard said. “So I thought he played great, but it’s a good learning experience for him.”
The big man is rapidly ascending up the leaderboard for double-doubles by a Maryland freshman — he tied Diamond Stone for third place today with four and is halfway from tying Jordan Williams in first.
Purdue coach Matt Painter said Queen’s offensive abilities are “uncanny,” lauding his mix of passing and shooting prowess. Willard said after Wednesday’s Ohio State game that he plays like a “50-year-old man” who never gets sped up.
[Maryland men’s basketball displayed robust perimeter defense in Ohio State win]
Queen converted the go-ahead layup with under a minute remaining in Maryland’s neutral site game with Villanova, which housed mostly Terps fans. When the Wildcats responded, Queen attacked the basket, drew a foul and made the game-winning free throws. He had missed three of his previous four free throw attempts.
“I just looked at it like … make two free throws,” Queen said. “They’re free, and I don’t like to miss out on free points.”
Queen hasn’t at all been rattled against his best opponents thus far. On Sunday, in one of the toughest environments in the country, he played at his usual deliberate pace. Maryland has given Queen the ball time and time again in the most important moments. There’s no reason to believe that’ll change given what he’s done.
“Maryland fans better get used to watching him, in my opinion, because I don’t think he’s going to be here next year,” Willard said. “You’re watching a pro, and I’ve been around pros. You’re just seeing what a pro looks like at 19 years old.”
