Tarris Reed Jr. leads UConn to NCAA Tournament Final Four

The UConn Huskies will be making their third trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in four years; and St. Louisan Tarris Reed Jr. is one of the major reasons why it’s happening.

The former Chaminade College Prep standout was a dominant force in the Huskies’ 73-72 victory over Duke in the East Regional finals last Sunday in Washington, D.C. The No. 2 seed Huskies rallied from a 19-point deficit to the stun the No. 1 Blue Devils.

A dramatic 3-pointer by freshman Braylon Mullins with 0.3 seconds left gave UConn the victory, but it was the play of the 6’11” Reed that carried the day. Reed finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He got the Huskies off to a fast start by scoring eight of his team’s first 10 points. While the Huskies were struggling from 3-point range throughout the game, Reed was a force in the paint with his consistent scoring.

Reed was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after averaging 21.7 points and 13.5 rebounds in the Huskies’ four victories. It was one of the most impressive four-game tournament runs in recent memory.

Reed had 31 points and 27 rebounds in the first round against Furman. He followed up with 10 points and 13 rebounds against UCLA in the second round and 20 points and five rebounds against Michigan State in the regional semifinals.

UConn will face Illinois in the first national semifinal game on Saturday evening in Indianapolis. Tip off is scheduled for 5:09 p.m. (CT). The second semifinal game will be Arizona vs. Michigan. The winners will play on Monday, April 6 for the national championship.

Billikens Complete Record-Setting Season

As many of you know, I am the one of the radio voices of the Saint Louis University Billikens’ basketball team. I just completed my 35th season and it was one of the most rewarding years of my broadcasting career.

Led by head coach Josh Schertz and his talented staff, the Billikens won a school-record 29 games along with a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season championship. A great season culminated in a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the first for SLU in seven years.

The Billikens were a perfect 19-0 in Chaifetz Arena and there were sellout crowds for the last two months of the season. The kiddos played an exciting brand of basketball as they averaged nearly 90 points a game.

The season ended with a loss to a great Michigan team in the second round in Buffalo, but the highlight of the week was the Billikens’ 102-77 victory over Georgia in the first round. It was a marvelous performance by the Billikens against a very talented Georgia team from the powerful Southeastern Conference.

The victory over Georgia was a near-perfect performance and one that I have waited 35 years to witness. I’ve enjoyed many great moments over the years with the Billikens, but This particular beat down off Georgia just hit different.

The fact that it was against a team from a power conference on national television on the biggest stage that is the NCAA Tournament was a big reason why. Another reason was seeing how many Billikens’ fans clad in blue made the trip to Buffalo for the game. 

The national television audience got a chance to see what Billiken basketball was all about. Everyone had a chance to see the greatness of A-10 Player of the Year Robbie Avila. They saw the electricity of St. Louisan Kellen Thames, who threw down a thunderous dunk over 7’3″ Aday Mara of Michigan.

Folks witnessed the perimeter shooting of Trey Green, Ishan “Instant” Sharma and Brady Dunlap, the relentless play of guard Dion Brown, the versatility of Quentin Jones and Amari McCottry and the strength of Paul Otieno.

Ever since I returned home from Buffalo, I have watched our game with Georgia at least once a day. It is just a reminder of what a memorable season it was with the Billikens.

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