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, as he finished with a career-high, video-game-like 31 points and 27 rebounds.
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“That’s as good as you are ever going to see it,” 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-seeded Huskies needed every single point and every single rebound to avoid a potential first-round upset to the 15-seeded Paladins, as UConn nearly lost its 11-point second-half lead late in the second half.
The night the Huskies got from Reed saved Hurley’s program from being added to the wrong end of March Madness history at Wells Fargo Center. Entering the night, 15-seeds pulled off an upset in two of the last three times that the Men’s NCAA Tournament came to 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.
It didn’t take long for Reed to showcase his dominance in front of a packed Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday, which at times was rooting for an upset to happen. He matched his season-high of 16 rebounds by halftime to go with 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field.
“He’s a grizzly bear,” Hurley said of his forward on the TV broadcast to Evan Washburn.
Reed told USA TODAY Sports in the Huskies locker room that it was at halftime that he realized the night he ended up having could be a possibility.
“Mindset coming into the game was really just be dominant, knowing that it’s my last March Madness (and) my days are numbered in college basketball,” Reed said of his mentality on the night. “We’re just going out and giving it all I got.”
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 an Alex Karaban 3-pointer to push the lead to 11 with 2:06 remaining.
The Bear inside UConn’s defense, which is the Huskies’ path to a hopeful 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 on the night as a whole, at 23.
His night was also continuing a season-long theme of him looking much more comfortable in Hurley’s system this year than he did last season, when he transferred from Michigan and the Big Ten.
“This really isn’t a surprise to anybody,” Karaban said of his fellow teammate’s big night.
He added: “He opens everything everything else up (for us). Having a dominant player download that just draws so much attention and just doubles and helps us shooters get open. He makes our life so much easier. … He’s really a game change for us.”
With UConn point guard Silas Demary Jr. still working his way back from an ankle injury he sustained in the Big East tournament championship and his status still in the air for Sunday’s second round game against 7-seed UCLA, the Huskies will need Reed to be at his best like Friday night once again.
“He’s probably got to get off social media now and focus on his matchup and not swim around in dopamine,” Hurley said of Reed going into Sunday’s second-round game. “And get ready for a much more formidable front court that’s going to be tougher sledding versus UCLA and a Big Ten team.”
Reed will be ready for whatever’s asked.
“Keeping that momentum, same energy that I did in the first half and second half,” Reed said.
Tarris Reed Jr. stats today vs Furman in NCAA Tournament
Here’s a full breakdown of Reed’s stats in UConn’s win over Furman on Friday:
Who does UConn play next in March Madness?
The Huskies will take on 7-seed UCLA in the second round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament at 8:45 p.m. ET on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 of the East Region and face the winner of 3-seed Michigan State vs. 6-seed Louisville.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarris Reed Jr. stats otherworldly as UConn avoids March Madness upset
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