The UConn basketball team is moving on once again in the NCAA Tournament. UConn defeated Furman on Friday night in the Round of 64, 82-71. Tarris Reed Jr. got buckets with ease for the Huskies.
He finished the game with 31 points and an astonishing 27 rebounds.
“It’s the first 30-point, 25-rebound game in Division I in 11 years and the first in the NCAA Tournament since Elvin Hayes in 1968,” college basketball reporter Jared Berson posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Reed also out rebounded Furman all by himself. Furman posted just 23 rebounds in the game, per ESPN. UConn is a no. 2 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Reed wanted even more.
“I feel like I let my foot off the gas a little bit in the second half,” Reed said postgame, per ESPN.
UConn is looking for the school's third national championship in the last four seasons. The Huskies are led by coach Dan Hurley, who was in awe of Reed's performance.
“That was the game, this guy,” Hurley said about Reed. “That's as dominant a performance as you've probably seen from a big guy in tournament history. That's what he's capable of. This guy's a total monster, and today he was a real grizzly bear.”
Reed said he was reading what Furman's defense gave him throughout the game.
“I feel like just watching film, from the jump,” Reed said. “Knowing what the scout was, trusting in my teammates, trusting in the coaching staff, knowing that I was really going to be able to dominate down low and take advantage of the bigs they had and just take advantage of the paint.”
UConn moves on to the Round of 32, to play no. 7 seed UCLA on Sunday. UCLA advanced by defeating UCF in the Round of 64 on Friday.
With the victory over Furman, the Huskies have reached another 30-win season.
