“I give him a lot of credit. The big dog came through and proved it” said Maryland Terrapins head coach Kevin Willard in praise of Derik Queen, aka the name that will be on the minds of several basketball enthusiasts for a while. There was no denying that the recent Maryland-Colorado game was a major nail-biter.

After the Rams established a 37-30 lead in the first half, the game remained neck-to-neck after that. 6.1 seconds remained, and Nique Clifford put the Rams in front on a three-pointer from the right flank. Unfortunately, the Terrapins stole their rivals’ dreams of advancing to the Sweet 16 when Derik Queen hit a running floater with under 3.7 seconds remaining in the second half and put the final score to 72-71 in his team’s favor. While some fans celebrate, others ask: Was the final move correct?

Everyone whose attention was on the game has the memory of the floater probably etched on their minds. Therefore, some might have also noticed that Queen took three steps after picking up his dribble before releasing the shot! The same might have gotten missed in the heat of the moment. After all, everyone’s attention was on checking to see whether the buzzer beater would be successful or not. However, as highlighted by Yahoo! Sports, a slow-motion capture of the shot clearly showed that three steps were taken before the shot went in.

Queen’s actions lay the perfect foundation for people to criticize Maryland’s winning moment. Sure enough, people fully availed this opportunity.

Basketball fans allege ‘traveling’ on Derik Queen’s buzzer-beater: “So, you get 3 steps….”

One social media user questioned the shot that delivered Maryland the win by stating “So, you get 3 steps after the dribble in the tournament? Got it (thumbs-up emoji)”.

According to reports, the official NCAA definition of traveling differs from that found in the NBA. Players do not get a “gather step” in college, like they do in the pro league, as they pick up their dribble. Queen picked up his dribble behind the free-throw line as he took a step with his right foot.

He then took a step with his left foot and another step with his right. After the third step, he released the shot outside the low block on the left side of the lane. Therefore, there is no denying that the shot should not have been counted. Especially since the shot was the sole thing determining which team won in the game’s final moments.

One individual wrote, “Kudos to the dude for making the shot, but yeah… really looked like he traveled.” Derik Queen was undoubtedly a major contributor during the recent game. He led the scoring effort closely with his 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. Unfortunately, his contribution will be celebrated by his team, but not by those who realize the last shot should not have been counted.

One social media user wrote “Can’t believe they didn’t call this a travel.”

Well, this isn’t the first missed call that’s shaken up a game’s outcome—and it definitely won’t be the last. Just hours ago, Dan Hurley was fuming as UConn’s dream of a three-peat came crashing down in a loss to Florida. And let’s just say—he wasn’t holding back when it came to the officiating.

The biggest gripe? A blatant no-call on Alex Karaban, who drove to the hoop, took contact, and got… nothing. At that moment, UConn was up 61-59 with just 3:05 left on the clock. That missed call? It swung the game.

Florida capitalized instantly—Walter Clayton Jr. drilled a clutch three, and a costly UConn turnover led to a Will Richard dunk. Just like that, the Gators flipped the script, taking a 64-61 lead—and never looking back.

One social media user wrote “Idk whats worse, the missed call or the call from the announcer”. The in-game commentators certainly celebrated the buzzer-beater with enthusiasm. After the shot went in, the announcer exclaimed, “Ohh, Maryland. At the right side of the buzzer beater. With life into the ‘Sweet Sixteen’.” In the excitement, it seems that she too missed the three steps Queen took before making the shot.

One social media user used one stone to make two shots by writing “Is this the NBA? Travel much?” Yikes! Well, there is no denying that claims that the NBA has an alleged problem when it comes to keeping traveling in check exist. Philadelphia 76ers player Paul George discussed this issue during an episode of ‘Podcast P with Paul George’ back in November. With Reggie Jackson by his side, the player exclaimed: “There’s a lot of traveling that goes on in the NBA that refs just don’t-they’re not looking for it. They’re not reffing. Ill be on the bench like ‘Damn, he traveled. Damn, he traveled’”.

Overall, the majority of reactions agreed that Derik Queen traveled. Unfortunately, it is too late now for anything to be done about it, and the Maryland Terrapins will move to the next round. Whether they make good use of the opportunity handed to them is something that remains to be seen.