The All-Big East center became just the second player since 1968 to record 30-plus points and 25-plus rebounds in a single NCAA Tournament game as the Huskies survived a fierce upset bid
For about 36 long, uncomfortable minutes on Friday night in Philadelphia, UConn looked like a team very much capable of becoming the next great March casualty. Then Tarris Reed Jr. reminded everyone exactly why the Huskies were seeded second in the East Region.
Reed finished with 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting and 27 rebounds in one of the most statistically remarkable performances in NCAA Tournament history, lifting UConn to an 82-71 victory over No. 15-seed Furman at Xfinity Mobile Arena. In doing so, he became the first player since Elvin Hayes in 1968 to record 30 or more points and 25 or more rebounds in a single tournament game. He also joined Bill Walton as the only players in the past 60 years to post 30 points and 20 rebounds on 80% shooting in the tournament. Walton accomplished that in the 1972 national semifinals for UCLA, a piece of company that says everything about what Reed did Friday night.
Furman had UConn on the ropes
None of that history felt certain for most of the evening. Furman arrived in Philadelphia with a clear plan, and the Paladins made believers out of the sellout crowd almost immediately. They grabbed a 19-18 lead midway through the first half, drained six three-pointers before halftime, and shot 48% from the floor in the opening period while UConn missed 13 of its first 14 attempts from beyond the arc. The Huskies finished the game having missed 20 of 25 three-point tries. Each clang felt like a fresh invitation for Furman to take over.
The crowd had reason to dream. Philadelphia has a history of first-round havoc, with 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast knocking off 2-seed Georgetown in 2013 and 15-seed St. Peter’s eliminating 3-seed Purdue in the Sweet 16 in 2022. Furman understood what city it was playing in.
Freshman Alex Wilkins was especially dynamic for the Paladins, finishing with 21 points and pulling the crowd into every sequence. Tom House matched that output, going four for nine from three-point range throughout the evening. Charles Johnston capped an electric first half with a buzzer-beating three that sliced UConn’s lead to 40-36, sending the Paladins into the locker room with genuine momentum and the fans on their feet. Furman had used a buzzer-beater to take down No. 4-seed Virginia in 2023, and the echoes of that night were very much present.
Reed would not allow the collapse
Reed was a different problem entirely. He had 19 points and 16 rebounds by halftime, shooting a perfect 8-of-8 from the field in the first 20 minutes alone. He knew early that Furman had no answer for him inside, and he operated accordingly.
The second half continued in Furman’s favor early, with Johnston throwing down a powerful dunk to keep the Paladins within striking distance at 54-47 before House’s fourth three-pointer of the night trimmed the deficit to six. When Alex Wilkins buried another three to make it 69-64 with under six minutes remaining, the building began to stir again.
But Reed was everywhere. Every missed UConn shot found his hands. He finished with 11 offensive rebounds and 16 defensive. His 27 boards were four more than the entire Furman team collected on the night. UConn outscored the Paladins 46-26 in the paint. The Huskies closed the game on a 12-4 run, and the upset never materialized.
Alex Karaban added 22 points for UConn, going four for seven from three-point range on a night when his teammates could barely convert from the perimeter. His efficiency was critical in a game where almost nothing else came easily for the Huskies offensively.
A deeper problem for the Huskies to solve
The win moves UConn to 30 and 5 on the season and sets up a second-round matchup against 7-seed UCLA at 8:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22 at the same Xfinity Mobile Arena. The winner of that game will advance to the Sweet 16 to face whoever emerges from the 3-seed Michigan State and 6-seed Louisville matchup.
The performance, however, raised questions that a victory alone does not answer. The Huskies played without first-team All-Big East guard Silas Demary Jr., who suffered an ankle injury in the Big East Tournament and remains day-to-day heading into Sunday’s game. Jaylin Stewart also sat out with a knee injury that has kept him sidelined since late February. Coach Dan Hurley said he hopes at least one of them will be available against UCLA, because the competition is about to get significantly harder.
Reed’s night was extraordinary enough to carry the Huskies through a test they should not have been sweating. The question heading into Sunday is whether he needs to produce something historic again, and whether UConn can afford to find out.
SOURCE: ESPN