Tarris Reed's 31-27 night helps UConn survive in NCAA tournament - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Tarris Reed Jr. put up the kind of sensational stat line not seen in the NCAA tournament in more than 50 years and saved UConn from the upset of this March.

Reed had 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting and 27 rebounds to carry the second-seeded Huskies to an 82-71 victory over Furman. He joined Bill Walton as the only players in the past 60 years to have 30 points and 20 rebounds on 80% shooting in an NCAA tournament game, according to ESPN Research. Walton had 33 points and 21 rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting for UCLA in the 1972 national semifinals against Louisville.

Yet, Reed wanted even more.

«I feel like I let my foot off the gas a little bit in the second half,» he said.

UConn (30-5) needed every ounce of production it got from Reed, along with 22 points from Alex Karaban, to advance to play UCLA in the second round of the East Region on Sunday.

«That was the game, this guy,» UConn coach Dan Hurley said, motioning toward 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.»

For about 36 minutes, it sure looked like Hurley and the Huskies had a chance of heading 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 Houston's Elvin Hayes did it twice in 1968, when the field had only 23 teams.

Reed, who had 11 offensive rebounds and 16 defensive, knew early Furman would have difficulty stopping him.

«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