INDIANAPOLIS — Tarris Reed Jr. sprinted to receive the pass, aggressively looking to get fouled.
Weeks ago, he might have run in the opposite direction. But this is a different Reed, a confident and dominant player who is performing his best at the perfect time. He wanted the pressure of helping to ice the game.
“I looked at Coach [Dan Hurley], gave him a nod like, ‘Yo, Coach, let me catch the ball; let them foul me,’ ” he joked. “ ‘I am going to knock these two down.’ ”
He did, helping to polish off third-seeded Illinois and to send No. 2 Connecticut to its third national championship game in four years. The 6-foot-11 Reed again was the best player on the floor, leading the Huskies to an impressive 71-62 victory over Illinois at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Reed owned the first half and made big plays late in the second half to finish with his third double-double of this NCAA Tournament, a 17-point, 11-rebound showing. Most impressive has been his consistency. He is averaging 20.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks. Reed has also been terrific at the line, making 26 of 34 attempts after struggling there much of the season. That was always the knock on the senior, the inability to put together strong efforts.
Not of late. He’s controlled the paint in all five Connecticut games of March Madness.
“We’ve all just been waiting for this from him, this version of him, which this version of him is one of the best players in this tournament, one of the best players left in this tournament,” Hurley said. “He’s played as well as anyone has played in this tournament, and it’s all we’ve ever wanted for him. It hasn’t been an easy process to get him there, but he’s there now, and hopefully this is the player he is for the rest of his basketball life.”
When Reed entered the transfer portal before his junior season after two years at Michigan, this is what he envisioned. Hurley’s success was a big reason he picked Connecticut. While the first year didn’t go quite as planned — the Huskies lost in the second round to eventual national champion Florida — he’s now one win from a title.
“He’s won championships. I wanted to be in this position,” Reed said. “Now that I’m here, I’m so thankful for it all.”
