SEATTLE — A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line.
Maryland of the Big Ten is is the No. 4 seed in the west region of the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament. Colorado State is No. 12 and aiming for a Cinderella. They play in Sunday’s second round, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 to face No. 1 Florida.
Colorado State held a seven-point halftime lead, but Maryland re-takes lead in second half and then CSU responds. A dramatic finish is in store.
Follow here for live updates, score, highlights and more from the second round game at Climate Pledge Arena.
Final: Derik Queen buzzer beater
Maryland had the ball with 3.7 seconds to go after Jalen Lake’s shot to take the lead and Derik Queen hits a shot off the glass.
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Maryland wins 72-71.
— Kevin Lytle
Jalen Lake 3-pointer Colorado State leads
Wow! What a play design and Jalen Lake nails the 3-pointer to give Colorado State a lead.
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland leads Colorado State
Julian Reese hits two free throws with 22.4 seconds to go. CSU calls a timeout with 11.4 seconds left.
Maryland lead is 70-68.
— Kevin Lytle
Jalen Lake for Colorado State ties it late
Jalen Lake hits a jumper with about 53 seconds left to tie the game at 68.
— Kevin Lytle
Dramatic finish coming for Maryland vs Colorado State
Buckle up. It’s 64-64 with 3:04 to go. Maryland will shoot free throws after the timeout.
— Kevin Lytle
Colorado State fighting for upset of Maryland
One of the games of the tournament so far. No. 12 Colorado State leads No. 4 Maryland 62-58 with 6:43 to go.
— Kevin Lytle
Point guard Bowen Born from Colorado State
How about Bowen Born? The diminutive point guard from Colorado State is a Northern Iowa transfer (where CSU assistant Ali Farokhmanesh was a March Madness star).
Bowen Born is having his March Madness moment. He has 10 points off the bench as CSU leads Maryland 60-57 with 8:31 to go.
— Kevin Lytle
Monster Nique Clifford dunk
Wow what a dunk from Nique Clifford!
— Kevin Lytle
Back-and-forth between Colorado State and Maryland
Maryland briefly took the lead back, but Colorado State has responded with a couple buckets from Bowen Born.
An incredible basketball game here. CSU leads Maryland 54-52 with 11:35 to go.
— Kevin Lytle
Rashaan Mbemba returns
Rashaan Mbemba checks back in the game with 11:35 to go.
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland re-takes lead
A Rodney Rice jumper and foul puts Maryland up 49-47 with just under 14 minutes to go. It’s the first lead for Maryland since the Terrapins were up 8-6 early in the game.
— Kevin Lytle
Alabama beats St Mary’s
The Crimson Tide took care of business, beating St. Mary’s 80-66. Alabama will take on BYU in the Sweet 16.
–David Dishman
Rashaan Mbemba injury for Colorado State
CSU big Rashaan Mbemba is subbed out early in the second half and is questionable to return.
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland starts second half hot
Maryland hits five of first eight shots of the second half, including three 3-pointers.
Offenses are flying right now. CSU lead is 46-43 with 15:23 to go.
— Kevin Lytle
Cinderella? Colorado State leads Maryland at half
Big upset brewing? CSU is up 37-30 at halftime after Nique Clifford scores right before the buzzer.
Rams had a late 7-0 run in the half and are shooting 50% (16-32) at the break. Rams fighting Maryland size inside, too.
— Kevin Lytle
Kyan Evans deep 3-pointer, again
Kyan Evans for 3…Heard that before? The CSU point guard hit six 3-pointers in the first round and is on-point from long range in his first attempt of the second round.
CSU leads Maryland 31-26 with 3:42 until half.
— Kevin Lytle
Kentucky Wildcats take down Illinois, head to Sweet 16
While the Rams and Terrapins battle it out in first-half action, Kentucky beat Illinois 84-75. Kentucky will play Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
–David Dishman
Maryland getting hot
Colorado State built a lead of 12 points (24-12) but Maryland has now hit four of its last five shots and is on a 7-0 run.
CSU lead is 24-19 with 7:39 until half.
— Kevin Lytle
Colorado State leading Maryland early
A perfect start for Colorado State. Rams are on a 12-2 run and lead Maryland 18-10 with 11:57 until halftime.
CSU is 8-13 shooting while Maryland is 4-11. Rams already with eight points in the paint (as many as whole first half against Memphis).
— Kevin Lytle
Jalen Lake leads Colorado State early
CSU senior Jalen Lake hits his first three shots, including back-to-back 3-pointers for a Lake 6-0 run.
CSU leads Maryland 12-8 with 15:59 until half.
— Kevin Lytle
Derik Queen stats
Maryland star Derik Queen is averaging 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. One thing he doesn’t do is shoot the 3-pointer. Or does he?
Queen entered the second round game 4-28 on the season from deep. In the first 3 minutes he is 2-2 from deep in this one.
— Kevin Lytle
Starting lineups for Maryland vs Colorado State
Starting for CSU: Kyan Evans, Jalen Lake, Nique Clifford, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Rashaan Mbemba
Starting for Maryland: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese, Derik Queen
— Kevin Lytle
NBA prospects Derik Queen, Nique Clifford on display
This second-round game will showcase two NBA 2025 NBA first-round pick prospects in Derik Queen (Maryland) and Nique Clifford (Colorado State).
Check out the latest draft profiles of Queen (available here) and Clifford (available here).
— Kevin Lytle
What channel is Maryland vs Colorado State on today in March Madness?
Maryland will tip off vs. Colorado State on TBS. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app and Sling TV/Fubo, which offers a free trial. Announcers for the game are Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Jalen Rose (analyst), Robbie Hummel (analyst) and Andy Katz (sideline).
Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland vs Colorado State start time in NCAA Tournament
- Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
- Time: 4:10 p.m. Pacific/5:10 p.m. Mountain/7:10 p.m. Eastern
Maryland and Colorado State will play at 4:10 p.m. Pacific at Climate Pledge Arena.
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland vs Colorado State odds in March Madness
- Spread: Maryland by 7.5 points, per BetMGM.
- Over/under: 148.5 points
— Kevin Lytle
Where to watch Colorado State vs Maryland
Not in Seattle? No worries, there are a number of watch parties in Colorado:
More: Where to watch Colorado State basketball vs. Maryland in NCAA Tournament
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland vs Colorado State injury updates
Both teams are expected to be at full strength after their win in the first round.
— Kevin Lytle
Maryland vs Colorado State prediction, game picks
All logical signs point to Maryland. An NBA star, an elite starting five and top-level defense (No. 6 in KenPom).
CSU will feel it didn’t play its best game despite beating Memphis. The Rams are one of the hottest teams in the nation and defying logic right now.
CSU will make a real run at it but Maryland’s top talent has just too much.
Maryland 72, CSU 70.
— Kevin Lytle
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
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