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Another person in the Reese household wants a ring on their finger.
Julian Reese, brother to WNBA star Angel Reese, starred in Maryland’s blowout win over Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Reese had a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds as he fired his team into the second round where they will play No.12 Colorado State.
The 32-point margin of victory for Maryland was their largest in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.
The win improved Maryland to 26-9, the most wins for the program since going 27-9 in 2015-16 – the last time the Terps advanced to the Sweet 16.
Reese was the stand-out performer on the night, as while he fell short of a double-double, he added two blocks and two steals in what was a standout night.
Derik Queen, who Angel Reese dubbed as ‘Baby Jokic’, got his 15th double-double of the season.
The freshman scored 12 points and recorded 15 rebounds, Queen has the most double-doubles by a Maryland freshman since Joe Smith in 1993-94
“We just stayed together as a team and just kept punching and kept punching and kept punching,” Queen said.
“And we just defended. We did everything well that we usually do as a team, as just went out there and played hard.”
Maryland will know that only a championship will satisfy them this season and Reese, whose sister won a NCAA title in 2023, is likely to be a big factor in the pursuit of that goal.
The 6ft 10in forward is potentially playing his last season of college basketball, as he becomes NBA draft-eligible this summer.
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In ESPN’s 2025 mock draft, Queen is projected to go 24th overall to the Dallas Mavericks.
Other projections list Reese as a potential second-round draft pick – like LeBron James’ son Bronny.
Reese will look to be a part of that 2025 class. Should he make it to the NBA, he and big sister Angel would become only the seventh siblings to suit up in the NBA/WNBA.
The two siblings often credit each other with helping to shape their careers, with Julian even called her ‘an inspiration’ in one viral video.
“Consistency is [key emoji],” Angel recently commented after he posted a season-high 21 points.
In 2022, the Sky star told Sports Illustrated that she always brings up he brother whenever businesses tell her they’re looking for a male athlete to partner with for prospective endorsements deals.
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“They’re like, ‘Do you know any players?’ And I’m like, ‘My brother?’ ” she said.
Much like his sister, Reese is a double-double machine having recorded 14 this season, making him tied for second in the Big Ten and 16th nationally.
He is one of just five players in program history that has surpassed 1,400 points/900 rebounds.
He currently ranks third all-time in career rebounds and is on pace to become just the second player in program history to go over 1,000.
Although when it comes to following his sister’s footsteps, the only thing that will matter to Reese, is also winning a national championship.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
