In a game where he lined up against two of the potential top three picks in the NBA draft, Derik Queen was the best player on the floor.
Maryland men’s basketball’s freshman center tallied 29 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the Terps’ win over Rutgers on Sunday, which came in front of nearly 50 NBA scouts. Queen made his motivation clear after the game — it wasn’t just to bolster his draft stock.
“[Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are] my guys, and obviously we’re all in the race of [Big Ten] Freshman of the Year,” Queen said. “I just wanted to set myself [apart] and let them know I want Freshman of the Year.”
The race for that award is an unprecedentedly strong one.
The last Big Ten freshman to average at least 15 points and eight rebounds — like Queen is doing — was Michigan State’s Miles Bridges in the 2016-17 season. But compared to this year’s competition, Queen’s numbers don’t jump off the page.
Harper and Bailey are each averaging over 19 points per game this season, placing them both top five in the Big Ten in scoring. However, Rutgers’ lack of team success could hurt their chances to win the award.
[No. 18 Maryland men’s basketball beats Rutgers in battle of 5-star freshmen, 90-81]
Bailey was ill on Sunday and didn’t look like his usual self, only scoring four points and sitting on the bench for most of the second half.
Harper, who has also missed time with illness, scored 20 points in the loss. His odds of winning the award have likely dipped since conference play started, where he’s averaged 15 points — a very respectable mark, but a drop from his nonconference numbers.
Harper and Queen were named co-MVPs of the McDonald’s All-American game last year. They have a longstanding relationship and Queen said he talked to Harper two days ahead of their matchup.
“It’s always good to face off against Derik, we’ve been [playing] going back to like sixth, seventh grade, so we know each other pretty well,” Harper said. “He’s a big force out there, he gets to his spots. He plays the game the right way.”
Even if Rutgers’ lack of winning knocks down Bailey and Harper's chances, Kasparas Jakučionis may be the front-runner. Jakučionis and Queen both had their share of ups and downs in January, but Illinois has relied far more on Jakučionis in conference play than Maryland has on Queen.
Maryland has four of the top 30 scorers in Big Ten play — with Queen ranking slightly behind Ja’Kobi Gillespie for the second spot — while Jakučionis is the lone Illini in the top 30.
[The Diamondback Sports Digest: Maryland basketball bounces back]
There are plenty of other candidates who would be in contention for the award in most years. USC’s Wesley Yates III is averaging 16.7 points in conference games, Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. has the second-most 3-pointers in the Big Ten and Michigan State’s Jase Richardson could very well be the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Queen, who won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the fourth time on Monday, would be the likely winner in most years. And regardless of whether or not he ends up taking home the award, he still looks like one of the best first-years in Maryland history.
His current averages would make him the third-highest scorer — behind only Melo Trimble and Joe Smith — and fifth-highest rebounder among freshmen in program history.
“I’ve seen that all year,” coach Kevin Willard said after Queen’s career day on Sunday. “I don't think it matters who's playing or who's watching, because he's just that good of a player … this is nothing surprising.”
