Second-seeded UConn ran into more trouble than expected against No. 15 seed Furman on Friday. But it’s not because of anything Taris Reed Jr. did.
The Huskies’ senior big man posted his most outrageous numbers of the tournament so far, scoring 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting and grabbing 27 rebounds (11 offensively). He single-handedly outplayed a Furman team that had 23 rebounds.
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The Paladin just didn’t have an answer for him. Considering UConn shot 32-for-65 from the field, his 11 offensive rebounds accounted for one-third of the team’s total missed shots.
To find the last 30-25 games in the NCAA Tournament, you have to go back to 1968 with Elvin Hayes in Houston. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer was also the last player to grab 27 rebounds in a March Madness game.
Reed broke his career highs in points and rebounds in the same game. Before Friday, his previous highs came in the same game on March 1, 2025, when he had 24 points and 18 rebounds in a Big East tournament win over Providence.
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That’s a good thing for UConn. Too bad they repeatedly failed to stop Furman in this game, leading by just five points with five and a half minutes remaining. A late 7-0 run saved the Huskies from an embarrassing upset and ensured the betting favorite’s best day in more than three decades.