It wasn’t easy, but the UConn Huskies are on to the second round after defeating Furman, 82-71, in a game that was fairly close most of the way. Tarris Reed Jr. turned in a historic performance, grabbing boards and making buckets at a rapid pace as he finished with 31 points and 27 rebounds.
Hours before tipoff, we found out Silas Demary Jr. would be out due to his ankle injury, giving the start to Malachi Smith. Demary Jr.’s absence was apparent early on both ends of the court in the early going,
as Furman stayed in it and even briefly led in the first half.
Thankfully, Reed Jr. set the tone on the glass and inside the paint from the beginning. Reed grabbed eight rebounds in the first four minutes and essentially kept that pace throughout. The crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia was decidedly anti-UConn. Though plenty of Husky fans were in attendance, the neutrals and possibly some Villanova fans held a hearty disdain for Dan Hurley’s Huskies.
As expected, Furman didn’t roll over. Leading scorer Alex Wilkins got off to a hot start, scoring 15 points in the first half and helping the Paladins keep things tight. UConn’s defense looked sluggish at times, allowing second-chance opportunities and open looks.
Still, Reed was unstoppable. The big man dominated the first half, finishing a perfect 8-8 from the field, with 16 points and 16 rebounds. That, plus a solid start from Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban, helped UConn overcome a 1-14 first-half shooting performance from three.
Furman continued to fight, with Tom House knocking down multiple threes and a buzzer-beating three from Charles Johnston to bring the first half deficit to 40-36, after Mullins attempted and missed a three with time remaining on the clock.
Out of the break, UConn began to create separation almost immediately in the second half.
A quick sequence featuring a Karaban layup off a Reed assist, followed by a Solo Ball three, helped push the lead. Karaban scored seven straight to push the lead to 50-40 and force a Furman timeout.
From there, the Huskies never looked back.
Reed continued his dominance inside. Karaban provided the deep shooting the Huskies missed in the first half, knocking down multiple threes, including the dagger to put the game away for good.
Whenever Furman found itself chipping away at the lead, the Huskies had an answer to pull away. Whether it was a Karaban three or a second-chance opportunity set up by Reed’s rebounding, UConn maintained control.
As the final minutes of the second half approached, the Huskies’ lead grew to a comfortable amount. Reed capped off his dominant performance with a late dunk, while Karaban hit a three to extinguish the Paladins’ final hopes.
UConn closed it out, 82-71, overcoming a tough shooting night for Mullins and Ball in particular.
Furman made them work for it, but behind Reed’s monster night and a second-half surge, UConn advances.
The Huskies will take the court again against No. 7-seed UCLA in the second round on Sunday, March 22, after the Bruins held on to beat UCF, 75-71, earlier in the evening. The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to the Sweet 16 and face either No. 3-seeded Michigan State or No. 6-seeded Louisville.
