How UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. terrorized Furman to prevent March Madness upset
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Connecticut forward Tarris Reed Jr. did something no other Division I men’s basketball player has done in a March Madness game in nearly 60 years.
The 6-foot-11 forward became the first player since Houston’s Elvin Hayes in 1968 to finish with at least 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game, finishing with a career-high, video game-like 31 points and 27 rebounds.
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“It’s as good as you’ll ever see,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said of Reed’s performance after his team’s 82-71 win over Furman to a group of reporters outside the Huskies’ locker room.
The 2-seed Huskies needed every single point and every single rebound to avoid a potential first-round upset against the 15-seed Paladins, as UConn nearly blew its 11-point halftime lead late in the second half.
The night the Huskies received from Reed saved Hurley’s program from being added to the wrong end of March Madness history at the Wells Fargo Center. Entering the night, 15 seeds have pulled off upsets in two of the last three times the men’s NCAA Tournament has been played in Philadelphia. The first came in 2013, when 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast University upset 2-seed Georgetown in the first round, while the other came in 2022 from that year’s Cinderella story in 15-seed St. Peter’s, which knocked off 3-seed Purdue in the Sweet 16.
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It didn’t take long for Reed to show his dominance Friday in front of a packed Xfinity Mobile Arena, which at times was rooting for an upset. He matched his season-high of 16 rebounds by halftime to score 19 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field.
“He’s a grizzly bear,” Hurley said of his attacker on the Evan Washburn telecast.
Reed told USA TODAY Sports in the Huskies’ locker room that it was during halftime that he realized finishing night might be a possibility.
“The mindset going into the game was really dominant, knowing it’s my last March Madness (and) my days are numbered in college basketball,” Reed said of his mindset that night. “We’re going to go out and give it everything I’ve got.”
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He added 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second half, three of which came consecutively down the stretch and proved to be big as they helped the Huskies kill time and led to a 3-pointer by Alex Karaban that pushed the lead to 11 with 2:06 remaining.
The Bear inside UConn’s defense, representing the Huskies’ path to a promising third national title in the last four years, helped the Huskies finish with a 46-26 advantage in the paint. His 27 rebounds were four more than Furman had all night, at 23.
His night also continued the season-long theme of him looking much more comfortable in Hurley’s system this year than last season, when he transferred from Michigan and the Big Ten.
“This isn’t really a surprise to anyone,” Karaban said of his teammate’s big night.
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He added: “It opens up everything else (for us). Having a download of a dominant player that gets so much attention and doubles down and helps us shooters get open. It makes our life a lot easier. … It’s really a game changer for us.”
With UConn point guard Silas Demary Jr. still working to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the Big East tournament championship and his status still up in the air for Sunday’s second-round game against 7-seed UCLA, the Huskies will need Reed to be at his best like he was on Friday night once again.
“He’ll probably have to get off social media now and focus on his match and not swim around in dopamine,” Hurley said of Reed going into Sunday’s second-round match. “And get ready for a much more formidable frontcourt that will be tougher against UCLA and a Big Ten team.”
Reed will be ready for whatever is asked of him.
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“Keeping that momentum, the same energy I put into the first half and the second half,” Reed said.
Tarris Reed Jr. stats today vs. Furman in the NCAA Tournament
Here’s a full breakdown of Reed’s stats in UConn’s win over Furman on Friday:
Who will play UConn next in March Madness?
The Huskies will face 7-seed UCLA in the second round of the men’s NCAA tournament at 8:45 pm ET on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The winner will advance to the East Region Sweet 16 and face the winner of 3-seed Michigan State against 6-seed Louisville.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarris Reed Jr. has otherworldly stats as UConn avoids March Madness upset