Gene Steratore explained why Derik Queen's game-winning shot for Maryland wasn't a travel
In general, this year's men's NCAA tournament has lacked the last-second drama that we're used to seeing in March Madness. But Sunday's second-round matchup between No. 12 seed Colorado State and No. 4 seed Maryland delivered on that front and then some.
It had its share of controversy as well.
After Colorado State took the lead on a Jalen Lake three-pointer with six seconds to go, Maryland went iso out of the timeout to Derik Queen. The freshman center took on a defender and banked in a shot for the win at the buzzer. Fans, though, were convinced that Queen should have been called for a travel.
But in the postgame coverage, CBS rules expert Gene Steratore — who was both a former NFL and college hoops ref — explained why Queen's drive to the basket was totally legal.
In Steratore's view, when Queen's dribble was technically considered over, he took the permitted two steps to the basket and into his shot. The first step, which drew plenty of the complaints, was still part of the dribble as Queen gathered and briefly bobbled the ball.
It was close, but Queen didn't commit a traveling violation. And it would have taken something blatant for a ref to call it in that situation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
32 minutes ago
- USA Today
Divided opinions on Michigan sign-stealing scandal just part of college football tribalism
From the moment the Michigan sign-stealing scandal spilled into public consciousness roughly 21 months ago, it has served as the ultimate Rorschach test for college sports tribalism, for the pettiness of longstanding rivalries, of our voracity for social media conspiracy theories and how quickly controversy can turn into celebrity. Just imagine if you had told anyone with a working knowledge of Michigan's football program August of 2023 that they'd win a national championship and the person who got a Netflix special out of it would be … Connor Stalions? I rest my case. And now, as Michigan braces for the findings and penalties stemming from its NCAA infractions case on Friday, we will hear all of it again regardless of the outcome: Complaints from Ann Arbor over selective enforcement, complaints from Columbus (and perhaps points beyond) that the NCAA didn't hit hard enough, half-baked justifications for Stalions' behavior and eye rolls from the sports nihilists who think all of this is silly because rules were never meant to be followed in the first place. We undeniably live in a more permissive culture than at any time in NCAA history. The Overton Window on what we consider a college sports scandal changed forever on Nov. 5, 2011 when Jerry Sandusky was arrested are charged with 52 accounts of sexual abuse. Things that used to shock people, like agent involvement in a recruitment or payments to college athletes, no longer registered the same way - and that true even before the NCAA made that stuff legal. So the impulse now is to shrug our shoulders at all of it. If you don't like Michigan, you probably want them punished. If you root for Michigan, you probably think this was all a ridiculous witch hunt. And if you have no skin in the game, you probably are just laughing at the NCAA for trying to punish anyone for anything at this point. But I'll propose a radical thought here: Maybe, just maybe, the way all of us experience sports would be better if we simply pushed back a little harder on the idea that cheating – even in the ridiculous world of college sports -- isn't a big deal. A couple months before I ever heard the name Conor Stallions, I was having a phone conversation with Shawn Klein, an Arizona State philosophy professor who has extensively written about and studied ethics in sports. At the time, I was working on a project that became an award-winning 10-part series about the history of cheating in sports, which human beings have grappled with dating back to chariot races in Greek and Roman antiquity. When I asked Klein why people tended to view cheating in sports differently than, say, cheating on their taxes or cheating on their significant other, his explanation forever changed how I thought about this stuff. The gist is that while we live in a world of rules that have been put in place to help us make our lives better and organize society, we'd still a society in some form even if there were no rules or laws. Sports don't work that way. If there were no rules, the game itself wouldn't exist. 'The point isn't to get the white ball in the hole with a stick,' Klein said. 'It's doing it given the constraints you've all agreed to, which is what creates the game. By going outside that, you're not playing the game anymore in some way. So the process is maybe more important in sports than in other parts of our lives. What we actually care about is the doing of the thing, not just that we get there first.' Let's apply that to Michigan. If Stalions' in-person scouting allowed the Wolverines to obtain higher quality information about their opponents than they would otherwise have been able to obtain by following the rules, this wasn't a gray-area issue. It was cheating, and we should be honest about that and treat it with a level of seriousness that discourages others from similarly tainting a sport they profess to care about. The hard part, though, is what that means in a practical sense. Would it feel right to strip away Michigan's title when we all saw that, sign stealing or not, the Wolverines were by far the best college football team in 2023? Would it be fair to tell Michigan's current players who had nothing to do with the actions of a low-level analyst that they aren't eligible for postseason games? Does suspending current head coach and then-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore for a few games look like a just punishment or symbolic fluff? There are no great answers, and it's symbolic of why the NCAA's enforcement model ultimately failed. As much as schools knew that cheating was culturally corrosive and wildly prevalent in college sports, they never truly trusted themselves with the instruments to manage it. Michigan will most likely be hit with a potpourri of penalties that won't hurt much, and perhaps that's the right outcome. Stalions is back in obscurity and Jim Harbaugh is in the NFL, the latter being a far bigger penalty than anything the NCAA could come up with. But whether Michigan cheated on its way to a national title shouldn't be up for debate. Thanks to an enterprising staffer who was so desperate to impress his bosses that he crossed every line imaginable, the Wolverines were playing a different game than their opponents. And if you can't acknowledge that, they played you too.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ravens and Commanders cancel next week's joint practice
The Washington Commanders were scheduled to hold a joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens next week ahead of their final preseason game. That joint practice has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict. The Ravens released the following statement. The Commanders play their second preseason game (Cincinnati Bengals) on Monday night, August 18. The Ravens are in Dallas on Saturday for their second preseason game against the Cowboys. The joint practice was scheduled for Thursday, April 21, with the two teams playing one another in the final preseason game on Saturday, August 23. Head coach Dan Quinn discussed the scrimmage cancellation ahead of Thursday's practice. "Sometimes schedules just don't sync up as it hits," Quinn said. "I visited with (Ravens coach) John (Harbaugh) last night, and it's always choosing the best choices for the players. So, every once in a while, it just doesn't sync up, and so, we're bummed, we got a lot of respect for them, and we're looking forward to it, but we'll get to see them a couple of days later after that." Quinn then said the canceling of the joint practice does not impact playing time in the Week 2 preseason game against the Bengals. Quinn said he's already made those determinations about which players will play and how much. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Ravens, Commanders agree to cancel next week's joint practice
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
Great Clips, Inc. Names Rob Goggins President and Chief Executive Officer
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Great Clips, the world's largest salon brand, today announced the promotion of Rob Goggins to President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2026, succeeding Steve Hockett, who will retire at the end of 2025. 'We are excited to welcome Rob Goggins as the next CEO of Great Clips, Inc. to guide our future success and continue to grow our position as the world's leading salon brand,' said Rhoda Olsen, Vice Chair of the Board for Great Clips, Inc. 'We are confident that Rob's long-standing franchisee experience and his understanding of the Great Clips brand will allow him to uniquely execute strategic, growth-driving initiatives to continue accelerating salon-level results for our 600+ franchisees across the United States and Canada.' Over the last seven years as President of Great Clips, Inc., Rob has overseen expansion, talent, learning and development, business intelligence and technology, operations, legal, finance, and marketing and communications. During that time, Rob has led a series of initiatives focused on integrating innovative technologies and enhancing operations to support franchisees, stylists and the customer experience. Recent initiatives include the launch of ReadyNext® text alerts, updates to the Great Clips mobile app that has surpassed 25 million downloads, virtual training options for stylists and the introduction of a remodeled design for salons across the U.S. and Canada. Prior to serving as President, Rob held a variety of leadership positions at Great Clips, Inc. including Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development, and Vice President of Development. 'I would also like to thank and recognize Steve Hockett for his tremendous contributions not only as CEO but for his more than 35 years working across various aspects of our business to deliver strong results for our brand and franchisees,' continued Olsen. 'Under Steve's leadership, Great Clips generated 61 consecutive quarters of salon sales growth, helped our franchisees manage through and ultimately thrive following a global pandemic as well as extend our brand into culturally relevant partnerships such as the National Hockey League, College Football Playoff, and March Madness to connect with millions of consumers.' Hockett began his Great Clips career as a franchisee in 1988 before being hired by Great Clips, Inc. in 1992 as a Marketing Manager and later serving as Regional Director and Vice President of Operations. After serving as president of FranChoice, Inc. and then Rapid Refill Corp., he rejoined Great Clips, Inc. in 2008 as Vice President of Operations and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Additionally, Kerry Bundy will be promoted from Vice President of Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Chief Legal Officer, reporting to Goggins. In addition to continuing to lead the legal, franchise administration, and compliance functions, Kerry will take on an expanded role in franchise industry government relations. Kerry previously worked for more than 20 years at the Faegre Drinker law firm, including serving on their management board. About Great Clips, Inc. Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has over 4,400 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world's largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100 percent franchised, and salons are owned locally by more than 600 franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. Great Clips franchisees employ more than 30,000 stylists. Great Clips franchised salons provide value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. Getting a great haircut at a Great Clips salon is more convenient than ever with Online Check-In, ReadyNext® text alerts and Clip Notes ®. To check in online, visit or download the free app. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit
