The Gators are officially in the Elite 8! And the Chase Center was packed with fans for this Sweet 16 clash between No. 4 seed Maryland and No. 1 Florida. But among the sea of people, there was one very familiar face—Angel Reese. Yes, the WNBA star was in the building, all in to support her little brother, Julian Reese. And when we say all in, we mean it.

She pulled up in a black jacket with “JuJu Sister” on the back—because, you know, she’s making sure everyone knows exactly who she’s here for. And on the front,  “I’m from Baltimore.” That’s likely a nod to what Maryland center Derik Queen told the broadcast crew after his game-winner in the Round of 32. 

But while Angel was doing the most for her brother, JuJu wasn’t exactly returning the energy. He was locked in, all business as he stepped off the team bus. Meanwhile, Angel had her phone out, recording him with pride written all over her face. But did he look at her? Acknowledge her? Nope. 

Just straight past her and onto the bus.

Now, maybe they had a moment before the cameras started rolling, but from what we saw,  it was giving “just locked in on the game” vibes from JuJu. Well, as he should be. It was the round of 16. And he did look confident. And he had every reason to be after all, he’s been putting up solid numbers all season, averaging 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks.

But, sadly, the result didn’t turn out in Terrapins favour. It just wasn’t just Maryland’s night.

Florida didn’t exactly scream No. 1 seed energy in the first half, but by the second they were rolling. The Gators flipped the switch and ran away with it, sealing an 87-72 win to punch their first Elite Eight ticket since 2017. And that 13-2 run in the last seven minutes has to be the dagger.  

Thing is, Florida was already in control before that. Maryland tried to lock up the Gators’ perimeter guys, but, uh… they kinda forgot about Rueben Chinyelu. The dude had three easy buckets in less than two minutes, and just like that, Florida stretched the lead to 52-42.  Maryland had a little moment, cutting it to six at 55-49, but Florida shut that down real quick. Maryland’s Derik Queen did his thing, dropping 27 while going 10-for-10 at the line. JuJu managed to put up 12 points and 8 rebounds.  

However, only four Terps even scored. Even one of their bench guys didn’t take a single shot until there were 30 seconds left. And just like that, their season ended and all Chi-Town Barbie had to say was, “that game stressed me out man 🥲.”  Now, the Terrapins forward is probably looking forward to the NBA.

Will Julia Reese join sister Angel in the pros?

The Reese household is absolutely dripping in basketball greatness. We all know Angel Reese—the Chicago Sky’s No. 7 overall pick, already a star rookie in the WNBA. And her younger brother might be next in line.  

JuJu Reese wrapped up his senior season. Much like his big sister, the man is a walking double-double. He dropped 18 points and 10 boards in a nail-biter against Villanova earlier this season, then followed it up with 19 and 11 in his home finale against Northwestern. He has got consistency. And the Big Ten took notice—he just secured his third straight All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Even along with bringing his best game, he was making history every step of the way. During Maryland’s second-round NCAA Tournament win over Colorado State, JuJu made history, becoming just the second player in program history to snag 1,000 career rebounds. The Terps kept the ride going with a wild, last-second win against Colorado State to punch their Sweet 16 ticket. 

They didn’t make it past that, but Julian will now look to replicate what Reese did in the WNBA. The question is, will we see JuJu in the NBA? Right now, he’s projected as a second-round pick, but he hasn’t officially declared just yet. If he does and he lands in The Association, the Reeses would become just the seventh sibling duo to suit up in both the NBA and WNBA. 

And from what we know, the WNBA star will leave no chance to flex. Let’s see how/ if Julian Reese makes it to the big boys league.