Colorado State basketball needed to force one last contested shot to advance in March Madness. The Rams have gone nearly six decades without advancing to the Sweet 16. But head coach Niko Medved watched Maryland's Derik Queen snatch the soul of Colorado State.

Queen sent Maryland back to the regional semifinals in dramatic fashion. His buzzer beater lifted the Terrapins to the 72-71 win on Sunday.

Watching the final scene unfold left Medved with a “gut-wrenching” admission. Which he shared postgame via Coloradan CSU beat writer Kevin Lytle.

“Absolutely gut-wrenching loss for these guys…when you give everything you have for something, you can experience this,” Medved said.

He added that he thought CSU had the right look on defense.

“I thought we defended that last play pretty well. It’s about all we could ask for. And he made a freaking unbelievable shot. That’s what happens in March Madness,” Medved said.

Will Colorado State have Niko Medved back after Maryland loss? 

Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) drives to the basket against Colorado State Rams forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (8) in the first half at Climate Pledge Arena.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Rams lost in heartbreaking fashion. Queen's contested basket emerged as the first buzzer-beater of these tournament games. Plus sent the third Mountain West Conference representative home before the Sweet 16.

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Now many college basketball fans will wonder if Medved coached his final game at CSU. Medved has risen as a high-profile candidate for multiple power conference openings.

Xavier is one blue blood program to watch for Medved. The Musketeers opened their head coaching position up after Sean Miller left for Texas. Medved could become drawn to the allure of Big East basketball while taking the reins for a perennial NCAA Tournament contender. But Xavier's opening isn't even considered the top spot for Medved, if he were to jam from Fort Collins.

His alma mater Minnesota is seeking a new head coach. Medved played and coached there. Even Gophers Illustrated through 247Sports calls Medved the top contender for the job.

Time will tell what Medved decides. But he shared one more message involving the 2024-25 Rams.

“I’ve had as much fun and joy coaching this group as any group I’ve ever had,” Medved said.

Medved guided CSU to 26 wins — its most victories under him. It's also Colorado State's most wins since Larry Eustachy led a 27-win season in 2014-15. But that Rams team never competed in the NCAA Tournament as they took third in the MWC.