During the Maryland game against Colorado State, the broadcast almost demanded to see a great frontcourt presence from the Terrapins. While the modern game can be heavily focused on the perimeter, with the five-position expected to take threes, sometimes taking advantage of physical toolkits down low is what's needed. This is particularly true for frontcourt athletes like Derik Queen and Julian Reese.
Although CSU led for much of the second-round game, when Maryland needed it most, its best players stepped up. Using their size, talent, and awareness, the bigs of the 'Crab Five' made the pivotal plays to ensure safe passage through to the Sweet 16.
Much of the attention will understandably be on Queen's one-footed game-winning shot. Reese, however, deserves an equal amount of praise for the role he has played during the NCAA tournament victory. His presence around the rim was felt by the Rams toward the end of the second half.
Always eager to get in on the action on the boards, Reese had his usual imprint there as the senior finished with 11 rebounds, including two on the offensive end. Most importantly, his attacking of the glass late caused a foul on Rashaan Mbemba from the second effort. The Baltimore native went on to knock down the ensuing attempts from the charity stripe. This resulted in the Terrapins having a much-needed late lead.
The rest unfolded in spectacular fashion from Queen and Rams' guard, Jalen Lake. Without Reese, though, it's doubtful that the Terrapins would have lived to see another day during this year's March Madness.
A smooth jumper earlier in the game also showed the all-around skill level of the upperclassman and came at a pivotal point when Maryland was mounting their comeback. Seemingly always calm, his late composure allowed him to be impactful at times when the coach Kevin Willard's offense was struggling.
Great career arc at Maryland
The broadcast mentioned another important part of his game that deserves further mentioning. Reese's free throw shooting has improved since stepping on the Maryland campus. Granted, as a freshman, the forward shot a tremendous 80.4% from the line. This, however, only came from an average of 1.6 attempts per game. From his sophomore year onward, his minutes and trips to the line went up, and his yearly percentages were 53.3% and 56.8% from the line in his second and third years in college, respectively.
During the 2024-2025 season, he saw a noticeable jump as he made this a point of emphasis during the offseason, heading into his final year of eligibility. At 4.7 attempts from the charity stripe per contest, Reese made 72.7% of his FTs.
During the NCAA tournament game against Colorado State, the forward fittingly made all five of his free throws. In a game that needed every last point, his shot-making from what was once an area of weakness is a tremendous testament to how hard he works on his craft.
His sister, Angel Reese, and mother, Angel Webb, had noteworthy college careers of their own. Under coach Willard, the current college player of the family is making a strong name for himself in his own right. The term 'senioritis' can often be used in a sports context to mean a player performing well enough in the postseason in order to keep suiting up for a college hoops program that has come to mean a lot. While not officially a prognosis, it can be contagious, and the Maryland Reese appears to have it.