Tarris Reed Jr. has 31 points and 27 rebounds as No. 2 UConn beats Furman 82-71 in NCAA Tournament

Tarris Reed Jr. has 31 points and 27 rebounds as No. 2 UConn beats Furman 82-71 in NCAA Tournament Tarris Reed Jr. had 31 points and 27 rebounds in a dominant NCAA Tournament performance, leading second-seeded UConn to an 82-71 victory over Furman team on Friday night in the first round By DAN GELSTON AP sports writer March 21, 2026, 1:01 AM PHILADELPHIA -- Tarris Reed Jr. had 31 points and 27 rebounds in a dominant NCAA Tournament performance, leading second-seeded UConn to an 82-71 victory over Furman team on Friday night in the first round. Alex Karaban added 22 points for UConn (30-5), which advanced to play UCLA in the second round of the East Region on Sunday. For about 36 minutes in Philadelphia, it sure looked like coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies had a chance of heading back home instead. But Reed wouldn't let them, the All-Big East center becoming the first player with 30-plus points and 25-plus rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes did it twice in 1968. The Huskies were 20 1/2-point favorites to thump a school most basketball fans couldn't even find on a map. The real line that mattered was the final stat line: The Huskies missed 20 of 25 3-pointers with each clang off the rim seemingly sounding the dinner bell for the No. 15-seeded Paladins to come on in and pull off the seismic shocker. With UConn up 61-52, Furman cheerleaders hit the court to lead fans in their wildly popular school chant. “FU one time, FU two times, FU three times, FU all the time!" When Alex Wilkins hit a 3 to make it 69-64 and the Paladins (22-13) still stayed within five with 5:49 left, it seemed Furman was ready to kick up some dust on a tournament Friday filled with mostly chalk results. But led by Reed, the Huskies had enough in a 12-4 run down the stretch to survive the first round. UConn played without first team All-Big East selection Silas Demary Jr. after he suffered an ankle injury in the Big East Tournament; and Jaylin Stewart again sat out with a knee inj...